


Where Is Gamora?

by Cerise_Jones



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adam Warlock - Freeform, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Captain America - Freeform, F/M, Family Reunions, Gamora (Marvel) Lives, Gen, Infinity War (Marvel Comics), Marvel Universe, Multiple Endings, Peter Quill Feels, Peter Quill Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Stan Lee Cameo, Starmora, Thor - Freeform, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-02-10 00:45:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 57,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18649474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerise_Jones/pseuds/Cerise_Jones
Summary: (WHERE ARE ALL THE GUARDIANS FIX IT FICS??)Since marvel apparently hates starmora shippers and won’t give us the content we deserve, I’ve reluctantly decided quote Thanos and do it myself.This is literally me going through every possible explanation for where the hell Gamora is and what even happened to her. Essentially, this is a series of different storylines to restore what was broken by infinity hell and endgame.Post endgame, set almost immediately after.In short: Peter Quill is not okay.• Storyline/Explanation 1: The Gamora that kicked him in the nuts ran off somewhere and the Guardians go on a (chaotic) quest to find her. COMPLETE - chapters 1-12• Storyline/Explanation 2: THE Gamora is in the soul world + Adam Warlock (ah!) and the Guardians go to Vormir... COMPLETE - chapters 14-31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know where I’m going with this because the possibilities are endless but I’ll start with the most common theories as to where Gamora is. In this they will all be filtered through the mind of Peter Quill, feel free to comment any additional theories or anything (all comments are much appreciated). ANYWAY, much like Peter Quill, I’m a rambler, I apologise.

Peter Quill likes soda. He likes chocolate milk (well, the space version of it) and eats Gear Shift candy like its crack. He forgets to drink enough water unless reminded and he’s pretty sure half of his blood is now liquified sugar.

Peter Quill is not a heavy drinker. At least he never used to be. Well, in his former dazzling outlaw life he wasn’t hesitant to have a few drinks, maybe get so drunk that he couldn’t walk straight or fought some random stranger for the karaoke machine in some dingy bar somewhere. But he drank for fun mostly, perhaps to take his mind off of past trauma but he drank because he felt like it. Right now, as he finished the last bottle of some pungent brown liquid, he doesn’t feel like it.

The last few months have been crazy. Absolutely freakin wild and bat shit crazy - so much so that he’s not even sure it was real.

So they defeated Grimace and his whole army. Having to watch that Stark guy die was more than a bummer because, although his plans suck, that was about the most noble goddamn thing he’s ever seen someone do. Plus, he’s pretty sure they would have gotten along if they got the chance to know each other, something about his sense of humour sat right with Quill because now he thinks about it Drax actually does look like Mr Clean. Heck, if Rocket got along with him for five years then there must have been something special about the guy.

Oh, and before all that he also died and came back to life which is _beyond_  freaky but honestly his brain hasn’t been able to process that yet, or won’t allow him too.

At one point during battle he almost shit himself when he saw Captain America; the legend of all legends and he’s pretty sure it was him because was holding some cracked resemblance to that iconic shield. But maybe he was hallucinating because Captain America was an old legend who sacrificed himself during World War II? Either way the guy looked like him and he’s not saying he has a man crush on a 100 year old dude, but he’s not saying he doesn’t.

And of course all of that was crazy and horrible and stressful but that’s not really why the last few weeks have been the worst of his life. 

Peter Quill tries (and sometimes fails) to act like everything is okay. My dad’s a planet and tried to kill me? Wow, what a day but I’ll complain about it enough to annoy Rocket but not think about it too much that I get depressed. Thanos wipes out half the universe? Okay, that’s the real deal and he died as a part of that but... to be honest when he did die, he was somewhat glad that he did because...

Thanos steals your girlfriend, basically forces you to shoot her, takes her away and murders her billions of miles away, emotions get the better of you and you feel responsible for half the universe turning to sherbet, then you finally see her again, finally get her back and she whams you in the nuts? Not so easy to act like everything’s okay.

The god-angel-thunder-seriously-not-that-good-looking guy left about 2 weeks ago. Another reason why the past few weeks have been more than he can carry. Sure, the guy’s _okay,_  after weeks of debating so much that at one point lightning glowed in his freakin eyes they managed to come to an agreement where Peter kept his rightful title of captain and leader. If he’s being honest, Thor is super understanding and kind of a nice guy. He had been through a lot- like a _lot_ , so naturally the Guardians adopted him and he sort of fit right in. And the fact that he’d put on a whole lot of weight had nothing to do with Peter’s self-esteem boost, nothing at all. But seriously Drax’s face when he saw Thor again after proclaiming him as the muscular Pirate Angel was absolutely priceless.

The thing is, while Thor was there, everything was going okay. Of course not as okay as it could be but it was little things that made him notice the really big hole in his life.

At Stark’s funeral, when the Guardians were standing together and he turned to look at someone specific for emotional support and she wasn’t there. When they were heading back to their ship and he goes to be the gentleman by letting her board first but instead he gets a 6 ft 2 bearded Norse god with a beer belly thanking him as he walks past. The way his chest went tight and his stomach ached as he does the routine check that everyone’s on board and knows that one person’s not there. And what kills him most, honestly, is that he doesn’t _know_  why she’s not there.

The first thing he did was upload a hologram and activate a search for her. Because during all the chaos that was going on on earth, he tried desperately to keep his eye on her but during battle he kept losing her. Of course when he heard the scream of a space beast being sliced in half by a sword he looked over and it was her, but every time he tried to fight his way closer to her someone or something shooting at him would cause him to draw back, not to mention that Gamora moves at the speed of lightning when she’s fighting. Then after Nutsack-Chin hailed down a storm of bombs he lost sight of her for good.

Everything after that is mostly a blur; another snap, more dust, more death, more things to add to the list of trauma he’s experienced in life. The next thing he knows he’s at a funeral and giving the god of thunder turned hitch-hiker a ride back to space.

Thor’s a big drinker. Like he could drink a gallon of beer and shake it off like it was a gallon of water.

So that, and the fact that Thor brought multiple crates of beer from earth, wasn’t much help for him trying to stay away from the stuff at a difficult time like this. Rocket is a reckless drinker anyway and him and Thor stayed up most nights laughing and joking like a bunch of old pals (it’s not like him and Rocket used to do that and Thor totally stole him from him and that he’s buzzing with jealousy, but ok).

Thor or ‘Asguardian’ as he liked to call himself, which is a corny name that Peter’s annoyed he didn’t come up with, is also a very experienced (and old) guy. He had hundreds if not thousands of stories to tell which almost kept everyone’s mind off the burning absence of a member of their team while they let the hologram do the searching.

Also, when Thor is in a room, you know about it. So now that he’s is gone, things are way less okay than before. Because now there’s not a distraction, there’s no loud booming voice apart from Drax’s to block out the rising dread that’s been growing since they left earth. Now, it’s just the Guardians except it’s _not_ the Guardians without her. And everybody onboard knows it.

At first, the usual happened. Peter acted fine, felt relatively fine and was full of innate optimism that someway or another, in a few weeks or even a few days he’d find Gamora and she would recognise him. And, you know, harps would start playing and everything would go in slow motion and a glowing light from the sky would come down as she hugged him and they were together again.

Then, he started to realise that finding her was taking far too long and that accordingly, everything inside him ached the longer time stretched out. So he wasn’t so bubbly and optimistic but still shoved his pain and panic down to the pit of his stomach to look after his team.

But then... the worst possible thoughts of all thoughts ever thought about in the universe came into his mind and it’s so excruciating that he wants to unplug his brain or just disintegrate again.

There are only four options (that he’s thought of so far) as to where Gamora could be:

 

  1. the Gamora that kicked him in the nuts ran off somewhere because it was her past self and she didn’t recognise him or the profusely swearing raccoon. But, is still alive.
  2. Gamora from the present is still trapped in the soul stone and maybe there’s a chance they could get her out.
  3. That same Gamora from option 1 turned to dust along with the rest of Thanos’ army because she was a part of them at the time... and that leads him onto the other worst case scenario...
  4. His Gamora died on Vormir and her past self went back to her timeline meaning that she is gone.



 

Really gone.

So can anyone really blame Quill for being a heavy drinker now?

He wouldn’t be in this state if he had a lead. Just one morsel of any form of lead so that he can follow the hell out of it.

Repression worked at first, he still drank but it helped to block out that fourth possibility because it is an absolutely unimaginable thought that could possibly kill him if he gave it too much attention.

And then when repression didn’t work so much he noticed that he was changing a bit. Angry more often, felt pain constantly, cried more than he wants to admit, ate less then what his body needed, generally stopped taking care of himself...

Then his team started noticing things. He’d snap at them when he didn’t mean it. He’d watch Groot’s face fill with sadness as the teenager had to watch one of his multiple surrogate father figures descent into grief and depression. Rocket would yell at him and tell him to ‘get his shit together because he’d spent five years without them and didn’t get this low’ (which Peter finds hard to believe because sometimes he notices Rocket’s face darken anytime the years he was without them is mentioned).

Nebula is here. She’s here but he’s not sure why. Of course, she’s welcome to stay even if she had been more than trouble in the past because she’s Gamora’s sister and at one point, Gamora was talking to him about the possibility of Nebula joining the team. But now Gamora isn’t here and so he’s not sure why Nebula is. It’s not that she’s out of place, apparently she’d been living here with Rocket for the past five years and seems to know her way around as much as he does. But she rarely speaks to them, and especially him. She mainly speaks to Rocket, as stated they were roommate buddies at some point. She dips in and out of conversation with Mantis from time to time while making an effort to try and understand Groot and she’s pretty much twinning with Drax in terms of not understanding metaphors and can relate to him in terms of the best technique to stab things. But her and Peter have little, if not nothing in common. Music is a no go, not even he barely feels like listening to it at the moment. Talking about how they’ve both lived on earth for a time is a possible ice breaker but seems to be kind of a dry subject... and the one thing they do have in common, the person they have in common is most definitely off the table when starting a conversation. Because every time someone mentions Gamora, Nebula walks out the room. She has convinced herself that Gamora is dead and so that doesn’t really sit well with Peter because although that thought creeps up on him from time to time, he’s not going to try and bond a friendship over the contemplation of the death of his girlfriend. And his memories of her are far too sensitive to just casually reminisce in conversation. Plus, there’s something about the way Nebula looks at him. Like he reminds her of her and so she avoids him as much as she can when confined on a ship.

Even though he doesn’t dare let this thought see the light of day, Peter feels like he’s lost _everything._ Rocket is different. Still the same asshole, but ever so slightly different. Five years is a long time and he’s certain Rocket has changed slightly because of it. Not in a particularly bad way, nor a good way, just different. But their relationship is as normal; he love-hates him, he can’t-live-without-but-can’t-stand him in return. The only thing that’s different, or should he say more present than usual is Rocket’s tough love and hardness towards him. One thing that has changed about Rocket in the past five years or even nine years since he met him (though for Peter it’s been four) is that he’s softer. Slightly. He’s softer in general but he’s not a Mr Whippy’s ice cream just yet.

So it’s not that he’s _lost_  Rocket but there’s a difference from how things used to be and if you haven’t guessed, Peter Quill is a pretty nostalgic dude.

He’s lost Gamora of course. Whether temporary or permanent, he’s pretty sure he’s dead inside right now.

He’s not in the mood to listen to music which is like- absolutely soul shaking to be honest.

But what’s truly bugging him is that he’s almost lost his ability to support and uplift his team. That’s his job. His purpose. That’s what he’s prided himself for most for the past few years - how he’s been able to form this little makeshift family and gain the trust of the most important people in his life. And right now he’s letting them down. Every time he takes a sip of this damned bottle he’s letting them down.

 

It’s currently the middle of the day, he thinks it is anyway. Regardless of the actual time in Peter’s mind it’s time to throw this bottle in the trash, perhaps get another one and check the search tab for Gamora for the 4936th time today. To do that he has to go through the communal room and he can sense that they’re all in there. He’ll walk through quickly, maybe whistle or something to seem more casual and get to his destination without a hitch.

He makes his way through the veins of the ship in order to get to the heart of it. He almost hesitates before he enters the room and as predicted the five of them are in there and all turn to stare at him as he walks through. He clears his throat as he struts, forcing his legs to convey some form of bouncing life from within and is almost home free when Rocket’s raspy voice punches his ears...

 

Next chapter - The Intervention


	2. The Intervention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it’s looks like I will be posting chapters daily for the foreseeable future. I just want to say a big fat sappy thank you for all your comments on the last chapter. I want to reply to every single one of them but I’m not sure of the conventions here on ao3 and I want to look like one of the cool kids since most authors don’t reply to comments, but soon I might just say screw it becasue I’m a total softy and squeal every time I get one since I love our gotg community so much- oh for a stars sake ANYWAY I’m sorry for rambling again, if I was a Guardian, Rocket would have told me to stfu by now. Enjoy!

“Where ya goin’?”

“Flight deck.”

Peter keeps his eyes forward as the next words try to wrap around him like a vice.

“Sit down, Quill.”

Peter sniffs nonchalantly as though he didn’t hear him but does slow down in his stride.

“I know you heard me.”

“Yeah, I heard you, how can I not hear you with that flarkin voice-“

“Then sit the hell down.”

Patience is something that is in short supply at the moment, for Peter and seemingly for Rocket too. Quill now turns to look at him.

“I’ll come back and _sit_ _down_  later, now if you’ll excuse me.”

He shifts his weight to turn and leave and before he looks away he catches Rocket signal or something at Drax. Sure enough, Drax stands and blocks the way of the door with his arms folded in front of Quill. Peter pauses for a second, the moment he knows was coming now stabbing him as he frowns.

“Drax, move.”

“I cannot do that.”

“Get the hell outta my way.”

“Do not talk to him like that.” Mantis’ soft voice pipes up to contrast Peter’s harsh one. “You do not usually speak to any of us in such a way.”

“Yeah.” Rocket cuts in, glaring up at Peter. “The amount a’ alcohol he’s been chugging has sent his ass loopy-“

“Is this what you wanted, Rocket?! To mock me and insult me?” Peter’s voice fills the room, the atmosphere moulding to his tone. “I don’t need this shit. Drax, _move_.”

“Quill, we gotta do something, buddy. _You_ gotta do something-“

“I know what I need, Rocket, and an intervention isn’t it.”

“So what? You’re gonna go back to your hole and wallow in self pity?! Who the hell are you? I know I ain’t seen ya for five years but I know that’s not you.”

“Quill.” Drax’s voice is uncharacteristically soothing. “We are merely asking for a _serious_ conversation. A long overdue one.”

Peter looks into Drax’s piercing blue eyes, his green ones causing a haze of sadness them.

“When I’m ready we can chitchat about all our loss and pain and traumatic shit but not right now-“

“I am Groot.”

Peter freezes at the words. He turns around and looks at Groot and clenches his hand to stop it from trembling with pain. All he said was her name. One word (technically three but-) and his attention is brought back. He looks at how sad Groot’s eyes are and his _priorities_  are brought back.

“I am Groot.”

 _Please_. 

Groot’s plea brings him around and sets the empty bottle down on the table they’re all sat around, now sitting to join them opposite Rocket with a shaky sigh. Drax looks at Mantis apprehensively and Nebula stays still as a metallic sculpter in the corner. Peter looks over at her.

“Don’t you wanna join the party?”

Nebula’s look slices his tongue and he refrains from speaking to her again. Sarcasm is also a no go.

He looks at Rocket, then Drax and then back at Rocket.

“So?”

Rocket stares back at him hard with simmering exasperation.

“So? So you need to Get. It. Together.”

“I’m trying.”

“You’re not trying! Is sulking off to your room yearning trying?!”

“Rocket-“

“No Drax, I’m not taking it easy on him! I’ve had enough, all of us have had enough. As much as I hate saying it- you’re the _Captain_ , Quill. You. You have got to try harder. I don’t know what losing her has done to you because right now none of us recognise you. You’re telling me you don’t see Groot crying every other day because he misses her too? You can’t see that the moment we boarded this ship without her our team had already fallen apart? You act like you’re the only one who lost her and I’m sick of it.”

Rocket finishes and Drax sighs as silence fills the room. Groot had recoiled in sadness and Peter burned holes into Rocket’s face as Rocket burned holes right back.

“I know, Rocket... I hear you and I know.” Peter pauses, dropping his gaze and looking at Groot. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry to all of you. I let my emotion cloud my priorities and I’m sorry.”

“We didn’t call you here for you to ramble out sorrys. It’s because I- I need this team to at least _function_  for stars sake because I did not go to hell and back to reunite this clan of idiots for it to fall apart as soon as we got home.”

More quietness follows and perhaps it’s more silent than any other silence in the universe because there’s rarely a moment like this on the ship.

“I am Groot?”

 _What_ _do_ _you_ _think_ _happened_ _to her?_

Peter’s stomach lurches and the question immediately triggers a bad taste in his mouth. He drops his eyes and hesitates before he speaks.

“I-“

“She’s dead.”

Everyone turns around to look at Nebula as she defrosts her icy frame and animates her words by crossing her arms. Drax looks at Groot’s expression and shoots daggers at her.

“There is no need to-“

“She’s dead. There’s no need for you to sit around a table and discuss it because it’s as simple as that. My father ended her life on Vormir and the sooner you accept that instead of feeding your denial with alternate theories, the sooner you can save your sanity.”

Peter feels his heart rate increase.

“Oh please, what the hell do you care about my sanity? You don’t _know_  that for sure. What do you expect me to do, give up on her?”

“I think she’s right, Quill.”

Peter darted his look at Rocket after the words hit. Rocket looks down at the table dismally.

“Look, while all of you’s decided to turn to dust on me, I pretty much convinced myself that you were all gone. And then that Scott guy came and spoke about time travel and Captain what’s his face gave this speech and I actually had hope. Hope about getting you back, but not her. She didn’t die in the snap, she died before that. Thor’s brother died _before_  that and he didn’t come back. So what makes Gamora’s any different?”

“ _I_ _saw_ _her_. I saw her on earth that day. It was her.”

“It was her but it wasn’t our Gamora. She didn’t recognise you.”

“Okay but- is that really the point? If that Gamora is out there somewhere then we have to find her. She belongs here with us, that’s how it’s meant to be...”

 

 

Next chapter: Explanation 1 - Past Gamora got spooked by how handsome Peter’s face was, didn’t recognise him and ran off. (Sounds logical to him)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the next chapter is where I’m going to start to get the Guardians immersed in carrying out this first theory of where Gamora is, so be sure to check tomorrow for more!


	3. Explanation 1 - Past Gamora got spooked by how handsome Peter’s face was, didn’t recognise him and ran off. (Sounds logical to him)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for Peter and Nebula to actually have a full conversation that marvel studios have deprived us of? Yep, me too.

“So technically, she should still be on Terra? That is the last place you saw her.”

Drax leaned forward with thought, crease in his brow suggesting he was on board with Peter’s plans to search until the ends of the galaxy.

“Maybe she found a ship and came back up here to space? I don’t know but I know that a green woman can’t just walk around unnoticed on Earth.”

“Where the hell would she find a ship just lying around?”

“I dunno, Rocket, but it’s a possibility.”

“Perhaps she _is_  still on Terra, and has disguised herself in order to go unnoticed.” Mantis gasps out her theory with revelation and enthusiasm. Peter gives her a doubtful look.

“Uh, I don’t know if that would really work-“

“No, maybe Mantis has the right idea.” Drax cuts in, expression serious. “Perhaps Gamora has mastered the ability of standing so incredibly still that no one on Terra is able to-“

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Rocket saves Peter from exasperation. “Ain’t no way greenie’s still on Terra. Even if she laid down on a patch of grass people’d see her.” Rocket turned away from a not-so-convinced Drax and Mantis and sighed at Quill. “If I’m really gonna consider this as a possibility- that me coming to terms with her death and dealing with a whole bunch a’ crappy emotions was a waste of time, that is- then we’ve got to at least have a tangible explanation and somewhere to start.”

“I am Groot?”

“Say time travel one more time and I’m gonna hurl all over this table.”

After Rocket’s warning Peter sat back and thought. He ignored the rising hopefulness growing through his body as everyone was genuinely giving this deep thought, meaning that they might actually go and look for her and then get close to finding her then _actually_  find her and then-He slapped himself in the face mentally as he tried not to get ahead of himself, he has a predisposition for getting his hopes up and being blinded by optimism. But as he looked around the table, he realised he should have done this weeks ago because, as he should have known, they’re all here to support him and whatever theories he may have in finding her. All except one.

In the time they had all huddled around in discussion it wasn’t a surprise when Nebula walked out.

Maybe he’s wrong for thinking that she’s given up hope or that she’s out of order for not being willing to even try and look for a possible solution, no matter how slim of a chance there is. He makes a mental note to try and speak to her later, regardless of how weak his relationship with her is, she’s on this ship meaning she’s a part of the team and he’ll be damned if he let her suffer in silence.

When he realises conversation has fizzled out and senses the initial wave of enthusiasm fading, he pipes up and suggests something new.

“I’ve put her through the universal search system since we left and nothing’s come up. But maybe we’re thinking about this from the wrong angle. We gotta put ourselves in her shoes. If we we’re her, what would we do, where would we go? We know her best and I doubt any computer’s gonna be able to do that.”

He hears Drax whisper something to Mantis about how his feet are going to be too big to fit in Gamora’s shoes and then looks over as Rocket seems to sit up straighter with a new thought.

“That’s a good point. But do you know which one of us knows her better than anyone?”

Peter frowns.

“Uh, me?”

Rocket frowns.

“No, Nebula.”

Peter stops frowning, expression drifting into contemplation. If anyone would know where Gamora from the past would go, it would be someone who knew her in the past.

“Rocket’s right.” Drax states. “You should go and speak with her.”

Peter’s eyes widen at Drax.

“Me? Hey look, I’m willing to go and speak with her but how do I know she’s not going to decapitate me first?”

“What, are ya scared?” Rocket’s voice radiates amusement.

“No- I’m not scared. Why don’t you go and ask her? Since you’ve been best buddies for the past five years.”

“You gonna get jealous over anyone I speak to that’s not you? And anyway, you’ve got more than enough experience for dealing with Nebula since you managed to flirt and even be in a relationship with her sister who’s just as much into stabbin’. Grow a pair, Quill. Go and ask her.”

By now Peter had narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he glared at Rocket but he was already standing up. He’s _not_  scared... just cautious because he very much likes his head attached to his body. Plus, he was planning on speaking with her anyway.

“I am going but not because you told me to.”

“Yeah you are. Good boy, do what your captain tells ya.”

Peter gives him one more look and a hand gesture that Mantis gasps at as he leaves the room. He trudges through the hallways of the Benatar until he makes it to Nebula’s room, or more accurately, Gamora’s old one. The door is sealed tight and for a second he wonders if she’s welded it shut before knocking on it. He tries to knock gently but he’s heavy handed and it ended up sounding like booms echoing through the quietness in this part of the ship. He winces as he waits, the coldness radiating through the door as time stretches out. After a while he clears his throat and rubs his neck.

“Uh, Nebula? It’s Quill... I need to speak with you and I’d rather not do it through the door.” He waits a beat for her to answer but she doesn’t. “Or we could just do it through the door if that’s easier for you I dunno... that way you don’t have to look at me so I don’t remind you of her... That’s what is is, right?” There’s an icy pause now, like he can hear her thoughts through the door frame. He sighs.

“Look, you probably think I’m an idiot and that I don’t know what I’m talking about. And I’ve got enough self-awareness to know the first part is true but I _do_ know that you love Gamora... and I don’t think you find it hard to believe that I do too.”

Now he swallows hard, maybe talking about love and feelings wasn’t the best route? Regardless it’s too late now and if she’s standing on the other side of the door ready to smite him he might as well buy himself time.

“So I think it’s really important that we talk. Properly. Because even if there’s a small chance that she’s out there, it’s our job more than anyone else’s to try and find her.”

He almost sighs in relief as he gets the last sentence of emotive speech out but instead he holds his breath. He stands there biting his lip and is about to reluctantly walk away when the pause has been too long but then almost jolts as the door slowly opens. When he looks for a face, his eyes meet two black orbs that scan him over with scrutiny, then watches the back of her head as she disappears into the room, leaving the door open which he decides is the best he’s going to get for a ‘Welcome in’.

He yells internally at his legs to ‘Go!’ and as he enters the room Nebula takes position in the centre of it, staring at him with her arms folded... And maybe he truly is an idiot because right now all and any thought has left his mind as he looks at his surroundings and remembers who’s room this is. And precisely why he hasn’t been in here. Her scent hits his nose. The sight of her clothes folded in the corner attack his eyes. The memory of her stabs his heart.

“Well? You wanted to speak with me.”

Nebula’s metallic voice snatches his ears and before his mind catches up with his body he turns his head to look at her but only reacknowledges her a second after standing there with sweaty palms.

“Uh- uh, yes! Yeah I do.”

She sighs as she stands there and tenses.

“Get on with it.”

He does what he’s told.

“So... we were just uh, thinking and discussing after you walked out and we realised that we need your help.”

He pauses for her to reply, then realises this is a one way conversation at the moment as she keeps her eyes locked on him and continues.

“We’re tryna think of where Gamora would have gone. Hypothetically, if she was able to go anywhere after escaping Thanos- did she ever tell you what she would do?”

“We rarely discussed the prospects of betraying our father. Disloyalty was an unwise topic of conversation in his presence.”

“But it musta’ come up at least once, right? Gamora told me how she _dreamed_  of escaping Thanos for years-“

“Unlike my sister I never planned to be a traitor of Thanos. Her methods were calculated, yes, but she failed to tell me of how she would leave me behind when retrieving the orb.”

“You’re not seriously still mad at her about that are you? It was her only chance to leave.”

Somehow Nebula’s black eyes darken as she glares at him, his words seemingly striking a cord.

“I am not ‘mad’ at her for leaving. I’m simply enraged at her for not taking me with her.”

The words linger in the air for a moment as Peter soaks them in. He never really thought about how Nebula would have wanted to join in on Gamora’s escape plan, but now he does think about it, why wouldn’t she? Could you freakin imagine if both of them ganged up on him to steal the orb on Xandar? He wouldn’t have stood a chance, his body ached just thinking about fighting both of them at her same time.

“...You know, ‘mad’ and ‘enraged’ is kinda the same thing.”

She blinks at him.

“But anyway, I can understand how angry you felt. Anyone would have been.”

She seems almost taken aback at his empathy, hesitating before nodding slowly at him.

“Yes.”

He pauses, aiming to just blurt another question out and hope that she gives him an answer.

“Did Gamora ever tell you of a place she wanted to visit? Somewhere she thought she could rebuild a new life-“

Then a thought hits him. It sends a wave of revelation over him that almost makes him jolt with the idea.

“Did she ever say she would go back home? To her home planet, I mean. Thanos killed half the population, that means she could still-“

“Gamora rarely spoke of Zen-Whoberi and when she did she made it clear that she felt as though she no longer belonged there. She was wary of how her people would welcome her after the atrocities Thanos made her commit.”

Peter felt himself deflate. Zen-Whoberi is a place they could travel to, even if it was on the other side of the quadrant. He sighs as he senses himself running out of options, not hiding his disappointment as he feels panic creep up his spine.

“But...”

Nebula’s voice snatches his focus back. He tries to hide the desperation in his eyes as she continues.

“There was this one place she spoke of. She never exactly stated it as her haven after escaping Thanos but the amount of times she spoke about it drew my attention.”

Peter feels his breathing rate increase as he stares at her, urging her to continue as though his life depended on her every word.

“Where?”

Nebula looks at him, cold eyes softening for the first time.

 

“Calculex.”

 

And there it is.

A lead.

And not even some morsel of a lead, a whole freakin planet. Somewhere they could travel to and activity search. That’s all he’s been wanting. Because one lead finally starts the journey that won’t end until he’s found her.

 

 

Next chapter: A Wild Orloni Chase 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any comic nerds out there, Calculex is an actual planet within the marvel universe and is the home planet of Genis-Vell. Another day, another chapter (tomorrow’s has a touch of Rocket/Quill angst and who doesn’t want that?) Also, I promise you these chapters will get longer as we go on, I’ve got to establish some things and set up the scenery before the action really starts!


	4. A Wild Orloni Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Rocket banter and feels? You got it.

“Calculex is a shit hole. Why would she go there?”

Rocket states his opinion and emphasises his question as he rips out the cords of a transponder he was repairing, briefly looking up at Nebula who warned of his tone with her eyes.

“I agree that there is nothing particularly intriguing about that planet, nor the entire quadrant that it’s in, as a matter of fact.”

Peter tried to hide his incredulous expression at Nebula’s change of spirit, a minute ago she sounded (moderately) hopeful as he coaxed her out of her (Gamora’s) room to tell the others of her knowledge. But he concludes that Nebula is probably as strong-minded as Gamora and so decidedly is still not convinced.

“Okay but- didn’t you say that Calculex has the highest rate of bounty hunting? That’s a possible reason she would go there.”

Rocket jerks up from fiddling with his technology, it could have been because he was just zapped by the wire he just yanked out or at what Peter just said.

“Wait, wait, wait- you’re telling me that Gamora, ex-assassin freakin warrior, wanted to become a _bounty_ _hunter?_ Drax, you hearing this?”

Drax nods as his brow furrows, remaining silent in thought.

“Rocket, you of all people know that bounty hunting is an quick and easy way for one to make units. Especially with Gamora’s skill set.” Nebula states.

“Yeah, of course I know that. Groot and I were the best bounty hunters out there, there was no one we couldn’t catch.”

“You didn’t catch me.” Peter challenges, taking his hand out of his pocket as he boasts. Rocket shoots him a look.

“I _did_  catch you. Don’t you remember when I tased you on Xandar and you were flailing around?” Rocket laughs, one that almost makes the transponder on his lap fall on the ground. “To this day that’s the funniest shit I’ve ever seen, when I used to walk in on you with your d’ast music blasting like an idiot, I couldn’t tell if you were dancing or getting tased again.”

“Yeah, yeah okay whatever.” Peter mumbles out, slightly wishing he never opened mouth as a result of the insult just made to his dancing skills. “Nebula, what else did Gamora say about Calculex?”

Nebula frowned with the non-metallic side of her face and sighed. “Ugh, hold on.”

She tapped the side of her cybernetic eye and seemed to type something in on her metal arm. This went on for quite a while and nobody knew what the hell she was actually doing. In the awkward silence, Peter turned around slowly to look at Drax who merely shrugged in response. Rocket got fed up first.

“Uh, what are you doin’?”

“Be patient, I’m going back years.”

Now Rocket looked confused until suddenly Nebula stood up straight, staring directly ahead of her as a hologram projected out of her eye.

“What the f-“

“Shh. This memory file is old, the audio may be difficult to hear.” Nebula snapped out. Then a voice that was her own stated she was ‘Accessing memory files’ came from the video.

Peter watched with the most vivid expression of confusion as the hologram fizzled into life, then almost gasped as facial features emerged. Within the fuzzy picture he could make a out a much younger Gamora, who had her hair tied up neatly in a braided ponytail and a few less silver scars on her face. 

“Have you ever heard of Calculex?”

The sound of Gamora’s voice hit a nerve in Peter’s chest, it sounded exactly like her except the audio was quiet and she had a touch more youth to her tone.

“Is that where Thanos has assigned us to journey next?”

Now Nebula‘s voice came out of nowhere and Peter finally releases that this is an old memory Nebula had recorded and that what he is seeing was from her pointing view.

“No, no, Krylor is next.” Gamora continued. “I only speak of Calculex because I just heard the prisoner we apprehended mention it. Apparently it is the pinnacle of bounty hunting.”

“What business do we have in bounty hunting? Thanos assigns our-“

“I know Thanos assigns our missions. I was just merely wondering. People with our skill set could make a living out of bounty hunting... and we wouldn’t have to kill anyone, just bring them to the person that wants them retrieved.”

“I don’t see why you are bothering to acknowledge this. We have no time for a side job with our father watching our every move.”

Peter recognises Gamora’s signature eye roll.

“Ugh I realise that, Nebula. Can’t you just entertain my rambling? This is why I do not discuss things with you, you do not know how to have a conversation-“

“I do not need you always thinking you’re better than me.”

“I didn’t say that. When did those words ever leave my mouth, Nebula?”

“You implied it.”

“I’ll imply my fist if you don’t-“

The hologram cuts out as Nebula quickly switches it off, their sisterly feud still ringing in the air as Nebula clears her throat.

“That’s all Gamora would say about Calculex. She mentioned it numerous times after that with the same vagueness... now I realise she was probably trying to drop hints of an escape.”

Peter pauses as his mind still swirled with what he had just seen and heard and- since when could Nebula do that with her freakin eyeball?? Okay, okay, that’s not the point. The point is from the way Gamora was speaking, it does sound like Calculex was a logical place for her to go. Without a doubt Gamora would be a master at tracking people down and intimidating them enough that they’d probably just walk back to where they were running from themselves. And he knows that the part that would have motivated her most is that she wouldn’t have to kill anyone, that she’d be in control of her actions and not be forced to be a slave to Thanos’ orders. 

“That makes sense. When we met Gamora she was planning to sell the orb to gain units so that she could start a new life. Like you said, bounty hunting would have been a quick way for her to make money and if this is before she knew about the orb then that’s what she would have done.”

“I have never been to Calculex.” Drax pondered. “I assume it’s riddled with criminals?”

“What planet isn’t?” Peter says plainly, now noticing a beaming Mantis who was buzzing with enthusiasm as her next words flew out of her.

“So we travel there and then we find her?”

Peter stopped, the words hitting him like a truck.

“Well... yeah I-“

“I’m sorry, is no one going to mention how baldy over here just turned into a flarkin VCR?” Rocket interrupts. “And you!” He points at Mantis. “Don’t go smiling all like that and getting your hopes up, this is still just a small chance, right?”

“Yeah but it’s a big small chance.” Peter counters. “This could be it.”

“I am Groot?!”

“Hell yeah, we’re going there now.” Peter answers. “Rocket, see how many clicks away Calculex is and whether there are any jump points on the route.”

Groot joined Mantis in buzzing with enthusiasm and Rocket sighed deeply as he got up.

“Five minutes back together and it’s already ‘RoCkEt dO tHiS, RoCkeT dO thAt’.”

The raccoon continued to mumble under his breath as he headed to the flight deck while everyone else followed. Peter was just about to follow them up too when Nebula’s cold metal hand seized his arm.

“I have been in your presence long enough to know that you are an idiot who does not think things through.”

Okay, that was kinda deep but he lets her continue.

“Not that I care, but don’t you _dare_  go filling Groot’s and the rest of their minds with childish fantasies of high hopes and miracles. There is still little, if any chance that she’s alive.”

Peter stands there silent for a moment. On the outside he tries to look like he isn’t phased, but in the inside he’s filling up with self doubt and worries that he _is_  leading his team to disappointment. He instantly dismisses the prospects of that because he still refuses to believe that her being gone forever is a possibility.

“Look.” He says, his voice quiet and low to avoid any of them overhearing. “I know you have your opinions of me but this is my team, this is my family and as soon as I sense that I’m leading them into false hope... I’ll let them know. But I really do think we have a chance here. And maybe you should too.”

With that Peter eases his arm out of her grip and makes his way up to the flight deck, leaving Nebula behind until he hears her follow as well.

“I got good news and bad news.” Rocket calls out.

“Get outta my seat.” Quill walks forward and stands over Rocket in the pilots seat. Rocket tuts but gets up.

“Worth a shot.” He mumbles. “Anyway, the good news is Calculex is only two jump points away.”

Peter feels his stomach rise like he’s just been plunged on a rollercoaster.  _She’s_ _that_ _close_.

“The bad news is we’re running pretty low on funds seeing how we’ve essentially been out of work for five years. I only earned enough money for me and Nebula here and don’t think just because you came back from the grave you can mooch off me. If this turns into a wild Orloni chase, then we gotta bag units quick for fuel.”

“It’s not gonna turn into a wild Orloni chase, she’s gonna be there.”

Nebula clears her throat as though to burn Peter with the reminder of their previous conversation. He reluctantly adds a touch of pessimism to his tone.

“But if it does and we run outta money for fuel, we’ll think of something to get by. Hey, maybe try some bounty hunting?”

Rocket looks at him as he hops up on his chair and buckles his seat belt.

“Hey look, I may have been the best bounty hunter out there but that doesn’t mean I wanna do that job again, it’s stressful as hell and having to lug you idiots whilst doing it? Now that might actually end my life span in an instant.”

Peter frowns as he sets up the dashboard for the journey, taking it off of auto pilot and adjusting the controls which is like muscle memory to him now. Rocket continues.

“Anyway, we run outta money, there’s no point being prim and proper about it. We’ll just steal somebody else’s.”

Now Peter glances over at him to shoot him a glare as Mantis genuinely looked concerned. Rocket looks at them back, raising his paws.

“What? Like Drax said the place is crawling with criminals. We’re the good guys if we steal from them, we’d be doing the universe a favour.”

Peter turns to look back out of the windshield at the open universe. He knows when Rocket’s joking (at least he hopes he’s joking), though Mantis seems to have taken him seriously. Peter grips the controls in his hands and can’t suppress the feeling of anticipation or anxiety or pressure or whatever the hell it is.

“Can we just get going? I don’t want to waste any more time.“

“Hold on, there’s still one more thing.”

Now Peter turns to glare at Rocket, annoyance prickling him.

“What?”

Rocket pulls out a small silver device that looks big in his paws and holds it out to Quill without bothering to look in his direction.

“Choose somethin’.”

Peter stares at the Zune.

“What?”

“What d’you mean what? This is your thing ain’t it? I spent three of the five years being a sad sappy shit bag who couldn’t play your music or else it was case of me missing your dumb dead ass. So pick a flarkin song or Drax wins the vote of having no music at all.”

Peter raises his hand to take the music player and the feeling of its cool smooth casing felt more than familiar in his hand. He lingers his look on Rocket for a moment, not sure whether to take what he just said as sentiment but if there’s anything he knows about Rocket from the last few years of knowing him it’s that when he’s trying to get across that he cares about you, he ends up insulting you a lot. And he’s pretty sure there were at least three curses in what he just said. Not that he’s choked up or anything (what has losing Gamora done to him? He’s even more sensitive than usual and he’s not sure he likes it), Peter stares at the Zune and starts scrolling. Rocket interjects his search.

“And don’t do that taser dance.”

Peter gives him a mischievous smile.

“Oh you mean this one?”

He dances gracelessly in his seat as the ship lunges forward in flight, purposefully flailing his arms around more than necessary to agitate Rocket even more.

“I am Groot...”

Groot groans as he covers his head. Peter laughs, if anything Groot should be way past embarrassment and, in fact, be grateful. Where do you think he learned all those dance moves as a baby? The ship jerks as Peter possibly flourished his last moment too exuberantly, losing focus on his steering.

“Woulda stop before you crash the ship?” Rocket yells. “See, if I was flyin we wouldn’t have this problem.”

Now Peter actually stops mucking around before he literally does crash the ship.

“Shut up, you love me.”

“I loved you a lot more when you were a pile of dust.”

Peter smiles, relishing in the fact that he just got Rocket to admit that he loves him without noticing. Then he realises that he’s smiling. And that he just laughed. And _danced_. Three things that seemed like a distant memory for the last few weeks, all gestures of joy that he thought he’d never do again.

 _He_ _should_ _have_ _done_ _this_ _ages_ _ago_.

He should have come and spoken to his family like his instincts would have told him to do if he didn’t drown them in disgusting alcohol. Because already he feels more like himself now that he’s around them, and there’s only one part of him left that’s missing.

“Buckle up, folks. Calculex doesn’t know what’s about to hit it.”

 

 

Next chapter: Calculex’s Cold Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone is wondering, an Orloni is one of those little space creatures that Quill was using as a microphone in the opening of vol. 1, as well as one of the many items baby Groot brought back to Rocket and Yondu in vol. 2. I thought it’d be more fitting that the usual expression ‘a wild goose chase’ since if they don’t know what a raccoon is in space, I doubt they known what a goose is either (unless referring to Captain Marvel’s cat).  
> I’m still writing the next chapter but I’ll try my best to get it up tomorrow!


	5. Calculex’s Cold Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever just see the comments your readers leave you and want to hug your phone? Just me? Okay.  
> Two Chapters today (yay!)

Turns out Calculex really didn’t know what was about to hit it. Or more accurately, the Guardians didn’t know how much Calculex was going to hit them.

They made it through the jump points, as predicted Peter flew them there seamlessly. Maybe his flying was smooth and steady but his nerves most definitely were not. When he saw the vibrant pink planet come into view he felt his stomach go over. Peter’s never really understood this expression because he thought steak was food, but the steaks are definitely high right now as they enter the planet’s atmosphere because he’s not planning on leaving this place unless Gamora is on this ship, or he’s 100- no, _1000%_ sure that she’s not on this planet.

“Okay, gearing down to land.” Peter announces as the ship tilts and braces itself to touch the ground. A puff of pink dust circulates around the Benatar as it lands and the rumble of the engines gradually filter out as the ship sighs after its journey.

Peter is the first to unbuckle his seatbelt, he’s up and heading for the door before any one else has even started unbuckling theirs. He’s standing by the exit as he secures his blasters into their holsters when the loudness of Rocket’s voice causes the frown on his face to burrow deeper.

“Hold on, hold on, before you go on your Prince Charming rescue mission, don’t you think we should have a plan?”

Quill’s face is laced with concentration as he hands out communication earpieces to each of them.

“It’s kind of hard to have a plan when we have no idea what we’re heading into.”

“Which is exactly why we shouldn’t be heading into it in the first place.” Nebula says, fiddling with her earpiece. “Gamora is not going to be here, this is a waste of time.”

“What, you got dinner reservations somewhere else?” Peter retorts, patience again wearing thin because he’s really trying to stay positive here. “We’re gonna search every lead we get, no matter how small. It’s not a waste of time if she’s here.”

Drax’s heavy boots stomp past as he goes to look out the window, the vibrant scenery causing a multicoloured haze over his tattoos.

“I am wary of this planet. It seems absurdly desolate for a planet renowned for bounty hunting. I too agree we need a plan.”

Peter clenched his jaw. He knows they need a plan, it’s just that he’s not exactly sure what his plan is.

“Okay, gather ‘round.” He nods his head as an indicator for them all to come over. Rocket yanks at Groot’s arm to put away his gaming console.

“We just wanna scout the place out, look all over. Maybe ask some people if they’ve seen her since we’ve landed in D'Bana Crux which is the main city area, and hopefully if she would go anywhere on this planet it would be here.” Peter pauses as he fixes his earpiece in place. “Oh and most importantly- well, after the other most important thing we’re here to do, let’s just try and stay out of trouble for once? I really don’t have the energy for any random confrontations with civilians and yes, Rocket, I’m looking at you.”

Rocket huffs as he hauls a gun on his back. That’s hardly reassuring after what Peter just said. Everyone gets ready as he turns to open the door, Drax secures his daggers and Nebula finally gets her earpiece into place. Peter glances over his shoulder to get a look at Groot to check that he’s ready, and when he catches the teenager’s expression he senses that he feels just as stressed as he does right now...

It didn’t take Peter long after Groot sprouted to realise that he had second place in Gamora’s heart after himself. And if anything, Gamora is the primary mother figure to Groot that he’s probably aching for right now. Suddenly the dread of a possible dead end is reignited and Peter feels the urge to pick up the morale even if he’s not feeling so good himself.

“Guys look, I know we’re all probably feeling... on edge right now in our own ways and that we’ve all got a bit of doubt in our minds but- come on, if we can save the universe by holding hands and fight my evil dad who was a freakin planet then _also_ manage to contribute to the death of that overgrown mutated grape-“ He turns to Nebula. “No offence. Then we can totally find and convince one of our _family_ members to come back to us.” Peter lowers his head as he clears his throat. “And if we don’t find her... well then we’ll figure out a way to get through that together.” He looks at each of them. “We can do this guys, we’ve totally got it.”

He finishes with a nod and perhaps the preferred response would have been a round of applause or even a motivated “Hell yeah!” from Drax but instead he gets a

“Meh, that wasn’t as good as Captain America’s pep talk, but I’ll let you have it.” From Rocket.

Peter freezes.

“Wait did you just say _Captain America?!”_

Rocket looks up at him nonchalantly.

“Yeah, you heard of him?”

“...Oh. My. God.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

After almost fainting since learning that Rocket met his childhood hero (and he didn’t), the Guardians filed out of the ship, stepping down the descending stairs and leaving a trail of dusty foot prints and paw prints (and tree truck prints?). They made their way through the land of Calculex, the heat of two distant suns shining down on them. The planet seemed ordinary enough, as they got closer to the entrance of the city there were a few tall buildings but mostly there were houses and apartments that were scattered across the land. The sign for D'Bana Crux was worn and fading, plus it had a couple of bullet holes through it which is always reassuring. It’s a port city meaning that there’s a large dock for boats in it. Peter shuddered at the thought of a boat, perhaps he’s a good captain of the sky but he gets sea sick and that’s not something anybody wants to be around when he’s queazy. They crossed the entrance for the city and Peter took a moment to assess his surroundings. Drax was right, it is really and almost quite eerily quiet. Every so often a few people walked by but all the buildings were shut up and the only sound that was heard was the shuffling of their own footsteps.

“So much for Gamora being here, hardly anyone is here!” Rocket complained.

“This does not make sense.” Mantis said bewildered. “If this planet is known for crime then surely it should be swarming with people.”

“Maybe that’s why people don’t wanna come out of their houses.” Peter suggested, trying to look at this from another angle becasue even he can admit this is super weird. “Let’s keep going, maybe as we get further into the city there’ll be more people.”

They continued to walk in their group, all sticking close together as the lack of familiarity about this planet that they’ve never been to meant they unconsciously felt the need to stay close to each other. Plus the weird quietness didn’t help to settle nerves. Peter is just about to admit that something is off when a little old lady with vibrant orange skin stopped dead in her tracks as she caught sight of them. She dropped her bag of groceries that she was carrying and Peter’s just about to jog over and help her when she screams out and points at him. He almost jumped as she started yelling.

“They’re here! The rest of them are here!”

Her shouts slice through the once silent atmosphere and a few more people on the street turn the look at them. Their faces fill with fear, some even with anger and Peter gets a really bad feeling.

“Um... what the hell?” Rocket says as his paws reach behind him for his gun. Peter gives it a bit more of a chance before he reaches for his own blasters. The shouts in the street causes tumult to erupt.

“Run!”

“Get them!”

“Stay inside!”

“Arm yourselves!”

People start peering out of their windows from houses and he sees some of the people on the street including the old lady start to run away.

“What is happening?” Nebula demands as she produces two batons in each hand, swiping them out to the side as though she’s ready to decimate.

“Stop them before they attack us!” One civilian calls out. Peter engages his mask and just as he does he sees a group of guys running towards them to his left. He instantly dives for his blaster and hears Drax draw his daggers but before any one of them can react, and before any of the civilians can get close enough to attack them, a parade of about six small fast ships with flashing yellow and purple lights zip past and circle back to surround them. Rocket fires at one of them without hesitation but it dodges the blast. All of the Guardians freeze as a pair of guns sprout out from each of the ships, every single one aimed at them. Peter’s mind spins with chaos as he darts his head around quickly to get a look at the ships surrounding them, through red tinted glass he watches as his mask converts the incoherent looking alien language written across the ship’s exterior into English, revealing the word ‘Police’.

“Guardians, drop your weapons immediately!” A tinny voice spat out of one of the closest ships, the fact that they just called them ‘Guardians’ (meaning they already know who they are) setting off alarm bells in Peter’s head.

“Like hell are we!” Rocket shouts back. “What are you hassling us for, we ain’t done nothin’!”

When the ships draw in closer Peter realises they are more than outgunned and genuinely senses something’s off because 1) they actually haven’t done anything yet (for once) and 2) they might as well comply because it looks like they’ll be the Guardians of Being Shot The Hell Up if they don’t. He puts his blasters back in their holsters and while ignoring the confused looks of his team mates, holds his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, chill out, we’re putting our weapons away.” He calls out. When he looks behind him Drax is giving him daggers as sharp as the ones he’s holding.

“Quill, what are you doing?” Drax whispers, though it comes out as normal volume because Drax’s voice is naturally loud.

“Just follow my lead.” Peter whispers back, urging them with his eyes to put the guns and batons and knives away.

“But I do not trust your lead.”

“Drax, seriously not right now, just put ‘em away-“

“They dare to point guns at us. I say we destroy them all.”

“Nebula, that’s not a great tactic-“

“I am Groot.”

“Can you all just listen to me for once, what’s the point of me being leader if you don’t even-“

“Uh... are you surrendering or not?” The tinny voice from the ship radiated down at them again, a hint of exasperation in the Police Officer’s voice. Peter ceased his forceful whispering at his so called team and turned back to look at the the ship.

“Yeah, yeah we’re totally surrendering, dude. You can put your big scary guns away.”

When the others finally put back their weapons, the nearest ship landed and opened up to reveal a short purple skinned officer who walked up to him with his gun raised.

“Uh, Lord of the Stars, right?” He asked Quill with a shaky voice, his expression suggesting he was almost scared of Peter.

“Star-Lord.” He corrected, eyeing up the man in front him who looked as though he was barely qualified enough to hold the gun in his trembling hand.

“We need you and all of your team to come to the station.“

“You can’t arrest us, we haven’t done anything yet, I know my rights.” Rocket declares as he glared up at the man. Peter sighing internally at the word ‘yet’.

“We’re not arresting you. We’re apprehending you before you do anything that leads to an arrest. We’re not taking another chance after what just happened.”

“What did happen?” Peter questioned. Don’t get him wrong, he’s so confused right now and kind of annoyed that this is happening after literally being here for five minutes, but obviously something has triggered this cold welcome and he’s got enough sense to know that fighting back before knowing what the hell is going on would probably not be the right decision.

The officer frowns him like he’s bewildered Peter just asked him that question. “How can _you_ not know?” He asks, looking Quill up and down and then scanning the faces of the terrified civilians around them. “We will not discuss this in the presence of civilians. Protocol states we do it at the station.”

“Well you can take your protocol and shove it up your-“

“We’ll go with you.” Peter interrupts Rocket from making the situation worse.

After a moment of hauling his teams reluctant asses onto the police ship, the next thing they know they’re pulling up at a small black box of a police station and are trudging through the hallways of it, getting weird and pretty suggestible looks from other police men and women in there. They split them up, Peter breaking out of his compliance to argue with the detective by pointing out that Groot is underage and should not be questioned by himself without a guardian. Rocket is paired with Groot for questioning. Mantis looks damn well close to petrified as they lead them all of into different directions, as Peter is guided off into his own room he tries to give her a reassuring look before he loses sight of her and the rest of them.

He’s sat down by an even shorter looking officer who pushed him way too hard for his liking and after giving him a dirty look, gets fed up of being submissive and senses his innate defiance fighting for dominance.

“Okay, you got us all here. Now what the hell is this about?”

There’s two policemen in the room as well as a two-way mirror, he’s been in enough police stations to know that there’s probably a heck ton of people behind it. The police officer closest to him walks around the table to sit opposite him while the other stands over him attempting to look intimidating. It’s really not working.

“Alright.” The one sitting down starts. “Enough bull crap Mr Quill, we know you know why you’re here.”

“I don’t know why I’m here, that’s why I just asked what this is about and if you use your common sense we might actually be able to get somewhere.”

The ‘intimidating’ on slams his hand onto the table and then winces as he pulls his hand away. “Look, we don’t have time for games. You think you’re big and bad because half of our city is in turmoil because of you?” He returns to standing up straight while Peter gives him a placid facial expression, shaking out his hand as though he sorely misjudged how hard he should have hit the table.

“You okay, that must have hurt your hand, right?” The other officer whispers to him as though Peter can’t hear.

“Yeah but we planned I’d be bad cop and that’s what they do in the movies so I thought-“

“Still, take it easy. I’m pretty this guy’s about to crack anyway-“

“ _‘This guy’_ is sitting right here and is no where near close to cracking.” Peter interrupts their not-so-secret discussion, getting more and more pissed off with every second.

“Whoever you think turned your city upside down, it wasn’t me. I know I gotta pretty face but that doesn’t mean you can mistake me for somebody else.”

“It may not have been you directly, but since it was a member of your team you’re liable to get in trouble.” The officer sits back looking proud of his statement, Peter’s face is struck with perplexity.

“A member of my team?”

The policeman standing gives him daggers. “Yeah, and don’t go denying it. We have her on CCTV.”

Peter felt his heart clench.

“H-her?”

“You know, we thought you guys were supposed to be good guys? Everyone here knows the Guardians of the Galaxy, you were heroes to us-“

“Did- did she have- what did she look like- did she have green skin and maroon hair, and-“

“Don’t play dumb.” Officer Intimidation hissed. “We know that you’ve been in association with Gamora Zen-Whoberi for years.”

And in an instant, Peter felt his heart stop. Everything went muffled in his ears and he was uncomfortably aware of his own breathing. He got goosebumps up his arms and felt his head go light. In fact, he’s pretty sure he just felt his soul leave his body.

“G-Gamora was here...? You saw her? She- she’s _alive?”_

The officer sitting down changed his tone as he looked Peter over.

“Uh... yeah, she’s more than alive seeing how she’s been causing so much chaos- Sir, are you okay?”

The words went unheard as Peter’s breathing rate picked up. Anyone would have though he was having a panic attack as he tried to keep himself upright.

...She’s alive. He felt pressure ease in his chest. _She’s alive._ He was right. He never stopped believing and he was _right_. She’s... He’ll be able to see her again and he- she-

He couldn’t help himself from letting out a deep sigh that sent tears he didn’t realise were building down his face. The policeman sitting opposite him looked more terrified than before as his eyes widened.

“Oh, man, oh God are you okay? Greg!” He yelled at his colleague who was standing over them, equally as concerned. “Get him some water or something, we cracked him!”

The other officer freaked out and ran out of the room. Just as Peter tried composing himself and sound returned to his ears, he listened to the policeman’s rambling.

“Oh stars, I can’t have another prisoner drop dead on me. Mr Quill, are you okay?!”

Peter nodded his head through deep breaths.

“I’m fine- I’m fine...” He looked at the man in the eyes. “Gamora is alive?”

The policeman looked at him with an expression that surpassed bewilderment.

“Yeah, dude.”

Now Peter smiled as he exhaled, sending a few more tears flying down his face as he went to wipe them.

“Oh my God, I knew it. I knew it!”

The other officer burst back into the room with an overflowing glass of water that he almost spills as he rushes over. He scanned over Peter rapidly before looking at his colleague.

“What the hell is wrong with him?”

“I don’t know! You said the good cop, bad cop thing would work and now he’s freaking out on us!”

“Maybe we should question him later-“

“No!” Peter called out, gradually coming back to his senses. “No, I’m okay. Please, I want to know everything. Anything you can tell me about her I want to know.”

The officers looked at each other and then back and Peter.

“...Alright...” One of them said, placing the cup of water down as he came and sat down too. He paused. “Just to let you know, we’re aware that we’re not great police officers, why do think there’s so much bounty hunting going on-“

“Greg! You’re not supposed to say that to the suspect!”

“I’m sorry, that’s on me, he freaked out and now I’m freaked out-“

“Where is she?” Peter interjected, completely ignoring the policeman’s self deprecation. Both officers looked at him again.

“We were hoping you could tell us that. We’ve lost track of her whereabouts after everything that happened.”

“And what did happen?” Peter demanded, the roles of the interrogation turning around as he stared at them intently. One of them scoffed.

“Where do we begin?”

 

Next chapter: An Explanation (finally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no time to read my notes, Gamora is alive! Read the next chapter!


	6. An Explanation (finally)

He made them start at the beginning. At the _very_ beginning from where the first reports started, which was actually when Gamora first landed. Already, people were alerted by the sight of her ship as it had the distinctive design of Thanos' fleet... So that _is_ how she left earth, she took one of the ships that didn’t get destroyed during the battle and booked it the heck out of there without anybody noticing. That explains a lot already, Rocket was right, there was no way she could have still been on earth because maybe Peter hadn’t been there for a while but he’s pretty sure there were no green humans nowadays and that Gamora wouldn’t be able to walk around unnoticed.

Apparently commotion erupted within the first few hours of Gamora arriving which, to be honest, isn’t surprising. It started off okay initially, on Calculex the Guardians of the Galaxy are pretty well known (expect they think Peter is called the Lord of the Stars) and so when people saw Gamora, they went over to welcome and thank her for her services. Peter immediately put two and two together when he heard that because he knows that she is not a big fan of being ambushed like that. Regardless if the crowd’s motives were positive and not hostile, Peter always noticed when they used to go back and visit Xandar that she was a little uneasy about all the attention. She was honoured of course, and beyond grateful, but she was never used to being approached by a crowd unless they were an angry mob looking to avenge their families who died at the hands of Thanos. And being the daughter of Thanos (and probably not knowing what the heck a ‘Guardian of the Galaxy’ even is) she probably thought this was another mob looking to attack her and attacked them before they could do so. Not a great start.

Then after that happened there were actual crowds of people who were looking to avenge their families who died at the hands of Thanos so you can imagine that she fought them too. And succeeded.

So technically, within a few days of Gamora coming to Calculex, half the city was in tatters due to the amount fighting she was involved in while the other half were too scared to leave their houses since hearing word that the daughter of Thanos was around and that she’d apparently returned to her old ways after becoming a Guardian. Little did they know that _this_ Gamora doesn’t even know what a 'Guardian' is and that the four years spent of toning down her violence while she fitted into a new family hadn’t happened yet.

Once everything was explained to Peter all the pieces started falling into place. That’s why people were shitting themselves as soon as they saw him and the team walk through the city. They must have thought the Guardians had turned rogue since Gamora set that example. Plus, he’s pretty sure them having the other daughter of Thanos, Nebula, with them didn’t help with their image.

After the police officers finished unfolding their stressful few days (they really weren’t great policemen, Peter ended up interrogating them) he was almost left speechless when they finished.

“...So you have no idea where she is now?”

The officer clears his throat, losing his voice after going through all the things that had happened.

“We don’t. Last we saw of her she went to the port and stole a boat after civilians trashed her ship. It seems most likely she’s crossed over the boarder to HalvaCenter and that city is out of our jurisdiction.”

“Yeah, she’s their problem now.” The other officer scoffed.

Peter thought, if anything she’s his problem and this is no where near a problem, this is a blessing. Without these two idiot officers he’d still be stress drinking and pushing his mind to its absolute limit trying to figure out where she is.

“And how long ago has it been since she stole the boat?”

“About a week.

“A week?!” Peter yelped out, the fact that he is a whole seven days behind her triggering panic through his body. He took a breath while he calmed himself.

“Am I free to go now?”

The policeman nodded. “Yeah, I guess we can’t hold you if you haven’t done anything.” He stood up. “We’ll gather the rest of your team and then you can be on your way.”

And as he says that a spark goes off his Peter’s gut because he knows the others have just been made aware that Gamora is alive too. He can just imagine Groot’s face and Mantis’ gasp. He can hear Drax finally exhale and sense that Rocket is stunned silent right now.

And he knows that they’re just as determined to find her and bring her home as he is.

 

Next chapter: Empty Tank and an Empty Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhh she's alive! (I love how I'm freaking out like I didn't just write this thing). Surely they just cross over to HalvaCenter and find her, right? If only it were that easy...  
> I'm writing the next chapter now but hopefully it'll be up tomorrow, regardless, stay tuned.


	7. Empty Tank and an Empty Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit of an angsty chapter today (yay for us, not so much for our characters)  
> Enjoy!

Leaving the police station was a blur. When he walked through the corridors of the station he found that the others were gathered near the exit and if he wasn’t sure whether they knew the good news before, he definitely knows now because their reactions were just as he expected. Mantis was crying, more than he’s seen her cry before but it’s mostly due to the fact that she could sense everyone else’s emotions, so he’s surprised that she didn’t explode just from sensing his. Seeing brightness return to Groot’s eyes was one of the best things Peter had seen, after weeks of his usual teenage angst being multiplyed by the weight of recent events it was so important to Peter to see him looking happy again, the clarity of _knowing_ that she was alive showing on his face. Rocket hides his reactions well with what he says but not so much with his body language. He says things like ‘I told you she was alive from the start’ (which actually he didn’t) and ‘There’s no point getting all worked up, we ain’t found her yet.’ Which is another statement that has no substance because although his voice is unbothered and holds the same Rocket Roughness™️ as usual, his body language and the way he’s fidgeting a lot, along with the subtlest smile on his face that you’d miss if you didn’t look close enough all suggest that he’s just as ‘worked up’ as the rest of them.

Nebula’s reaction draws his attention the most. As they walk out of the station, the determination and restored vibrancy radiating off them, he notices that she walks a couple of steps behind and so slows down his stride to walk next to her.

“You all right?” He asks. She holds her head down and merely glances to the side to acknowledge him.

“I‘m not sure how I feel. Of course I am pleased that she is alive but- I convinced myself so deeply that she was gone and learned to accept it. Now I don’t know how to feel.”

Peter nods as she ends her sentence, looking for the right words when she speaks again before he can get anything out.

“I assume you are pleased also.”

“ _Pleased?!_ I’m freaking elated! I swear to God when they said she was alive I felt my heart pounding out of my chest-“

Nebula gives him a look, eyes darting to his chest and then back to his eyes.

“Sorry, I’m just really super very happy.” He attempts to steady the zeal in his voice as he can sense her internal conflict, the words of reassurance he was looking for earlier coming to him now.

“Hey, look, I know this is a lot to take in. Especially after five years of thinking she was dead and then seeing her from the past and then thinking she was dead _again_ and now finding out that she’s not. But this is good news, really good. This means that we can find her and you’ll get to see your sister again. Don’t forget that this Gamora doesn’t know how many times you’ve tried to kill her.” He says that with the intention of perhaps receiving a smile but instead he gets a weak sign of her tension easing. That’s good enough. He continues.

“Think of it like this, this can be a fresh start for you and her. No Thanos, no Ronan, no sibling rivalry. Gamora always told me that she wished she was more of a sister to you so I’m sure she’ll take this as the opportunity to do that.”

His last words seem to be the ones that make the most impact. When she looks at him her eyes don’t show hostility or hesitance but genuine appreciation for what he just said.

“...A fresh start does sound pleasing.” She pauses, expression changing. “But what of you and her? Surely the idea of a fresh start is not ideal for you considering how many years you spent in a relationship.”

Peter blinks and looks down as his heart twists slightly. He shakes the heavy feeling off and looks back at her.

“Gamora is Gamora. Past, future, present, it doesn’t matter to me because at the end of the day, it’s still her. And that’s all I need.”

“Can you two hurry your asses up so we can get on the ship? It’s getting dark out and I may be covered in fur but that doesn’t mean I enjoy a stroll in the cold night air.” Rocket calls out from ahead of them. The sight of the Benatar’s wings just coming into view as dusk falls. Peter waves a dismissive hand in response but does pick up his stride. He turns back to Nebula.

“And anyway, she fell in love with me once and, I mean look at me.” He gestures his whole body from top to bottom. “I can get her to do it again.”

And with his cockiness lingering in the air, he turns away and does a slight jog to catch up with the others and get to the controls before Rocket does. He sounds cocky and confident... and mostly he is. But there’s still a part of him that is terrified of all the years he’s lost with her, all the years of building trust and growing comfortable around each other that she has no idea exists. But, like he said, Gamora is Gamora and he’d go through another four years of building that relationship if it meant they would be together again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Once all boarded on the ship, the cold air of the evening had lurked its way onboard and Peter went to turn on the engines in hope that it could restore some warmth that was really needed, his fingers like ice as he sat down and reached for the controls to boot up the ship. He turned a little glowing red dial, twisting it and waiting for it to glow green but instead it flashed blue twice and returned to red. He frowned, turning it again and again and twice more, trying his hardest to ignore the obvious reason as to why it wasn’t working.

“Ugh, Rocket!”

“What?” The raccoon called from within the belly of the ship, tone not particularly pleased by being interrupted from whatever he was doing.

“Can you check the fuel tank? I think we’re empty.”

“What am I? Your servant? Why don’t you come down here and check?”

“Why do you have to make a big deal out of everything? You’re already down there, just check.”

After that his only reply was silence which he assumed was Rocket going to find out. After a while his assumption was confirmed.

“Yep, tank’s empty.” Rocket called up.

 _Shit_. Peter sighed sharply as he got up from his chair, walking down the steps to the lower deck. Rocket held out his paws in disbelief.

“If you were coming down here anyway, why’d you make me check-“

“When does it say it was last refilled? We shouldn’t be out of fuel yet.” Peter questioned, cutting Rocket off. He’s pretty sure they had enough fuel to last them another week.

“Uh... it was before Thor left so three weeks ago?”

“Three weeks?” Peter said, eyes widening before he frowned. “Drax, didn’t I ask you to fill the tank when we were on Contraxia?” He called out loud, not aiming his question in any particular direction and just waiting for some one to call back, that’s how most conversations go when they’re dispersed throughout the ship. Suddenly Drax appeared out of nowhere almost making him and Rocket jump.

“Yes, you did.”

Peter stares at him. “Well, did you do it before we left?”

“No.”

“Why?!”

“I‘ll do it when we get back.” Drax states plainly with a shrug. He pats Quill on the shoulder before walking off, eating a Zarg Nut that he crunches as he leaves the room. Peter is left standing in disbelief.

“Well that’s just great!” He announces, turning to Rocket. “How are we supposed to get over to HalvaCenter with no fuel? We’re gonna waste more time if we don’t leave soo-“

“Relax, Star-Munch.” Rocket says, expression unfazed by Peter’s blatant stress. “Greenie took a boat over there, right? We’ll head over to the port in the morning and rent one.”

“...A boat? Like travelling on the water and stuff?”

“That’s what a boat does. What, you get sea sick?” His voice teases amusement.

“No.” Peter lies. “Wait- in the morning? I don’t wanna wait until then let’s just go now-“

“Look at you, you’re so exhausted you can barely stand up.” Rocket gestures to Peter’s whole frame and it’s only now that he notices that he is swaying slightly, exhaustion racking his body that the adrenaline of the recent news had probably been numbing. “Morning’s only a few hours away and we’ll head out first thing, okay?”

Peter nods in reluctant agreement and then stops. “How are we going to rent a boat when we have barely any money left?”

“Why you asking me so many questions aren’t you the leader around here?” Rocket yawns. “We’ll get the boat that’s the cheapest, there’s only five- no six of us.” He says that like it’s a small number. “And anyway, if we steal a boat then we don’t have to spend anything.”

With that Rocket walks out of the room towards his bunk. Peter’s just about to pick him up on the fact that they’re not going to steal anything. Although... if there’s no boats they can afford, desperation may get the better of him and they might actually end up borrowing (okay, stealing but he’d return it) a boat because there’s no way he’s risking wasting anymore time when they need to catch up with her - he doesn’t even want to wait until morning. But his body groans as he stretches and he decides that he is tired. It would be best to get some sleep especially if he wants a clear head for tomorrow.

He goes over to the controls and does his usual routine of triple checking the air pressure and oxygen levels before trudging through the hallways past Drax’s snoring to his own room. Once inside he flops onto his bed, kicking off his boots and throwing his jacket carelessly to the side.

_‘You should not throw around your belongings.’_

He hears Gamora’s voice in his head as he looks up for her. Usually she would be sitting on the bed, nodding her head over to his crumpled jacket in which she disapproved of his carelessness. Although Gamora did have her own room that Nebula is currently staying in, she would come and sleep in his most nights, using her room as more of a storage unit for her weapons and clothes that were neatly stacked and folded compared to his pile of ‘What should I wear today?’ building up in the corner.

“It’s not like the jacket can feel it.” He mutters to himself, saying his usual response for when she used to say that. He knows he probably looks crazy right now as he only gets silence in reply but... he just wishes she was here. So much. He has lied next to her so many times beneath these covers that he can imagine every inch of her, he can see her features staring back at him from across the other side of the bed. As he lays his head down on his own pillow he sighs, reaching his hand across the covers only to meet cold sheets and not the warmth of her smooth green skin. He closes his eyes as a now familiar ache travels through his body, trying desperately to fall asleep so that he can stop thinking about how much he misses her. But he lies there awake for hours as he does most nights. It’s kind of hard to ignore the fact that half of your heart isn’t with you, especially when she’s warm and the d’ast heating won’t work because Drax forgot to fill up the tank.

 

Next chapter: Guardians of the Gala(sea)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guardians go sailing? You already know that’s a disaster...  
> next chapter soon, thanks for reading!


	8. Guardians of the Gala(sea)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI I might not be uploading chapters daily but still frequently (exams are a bitch) so if you don’t see a chapter every day, don’t think I turned to dust! I hope that’s okay with everyone.  
> Another (chaotic) chapter, enjoy!

 Peter woke up before anyone else. He was showered and ready to go before anyone else had even opened their eyes. He waited impatiently for everyone to eat breakfast, deciding not to have any as he was way too anxious to start the day but then felt pressured to eat a few mouthfuls when he caught sight of Drax’s stare (for someone labelled The Destroyer he can be pretty persistently care-taking).

When everybody had finally finished and got themselves ready, equipped with their usual weapons just in case of an encounter like last time, Peter locked up the Benatar as it seemed they weren’t going to be flying it for a while, double checking it was secure because if someone stole his ship that may be the last of his sanity. The team made their way through the streets of D’Bana Crux, careful to avoid the scornful glances of some civilians and the enraged words of others. Although, there were still a few that seemed to appreciate their presence, thanking them for their work on Xandar and asking them if they had anything to do with those who turned to dust coming back and a few even asked for ‘selfies’? Peter had never heard of such a thing as he bent down and poked his tongue out at a camera with a little blue haired girl.

They reached the port and it was safe to say that it was kind of underwhelming. There were about seven big boats that could past as yachts, all too large and expensive for the six of them. Not to mention they looked like they had been sitting on the water rotting for a few years. Then there were an array of smaller boats that would have been ideal if they didn’t only have the space for one person. They looked relatively new and he reckons that these are probably one of the ones Gamora stole. He looks down at an open plot of murky green seawater that had the remains of a broken cleat bobbing in it which he assumes Gamora ripped apart with her bare hands when untying the ship from its dock. He goes and stands by it. _She_ _was_ _right_ _here_. He thinks as he basks in the feeling of knowing her presence was here a few days ago. When he pulls himself away he deflates when he sees no more suitable boats for the six of them. He leads his team up to the information booth and taps on the glass as an old man with white hair and glasses (who actually looked Terran) was sleeping inside. He jolts up at the sound of Peter’s voice.

“Excuse me sir, d’you have any cheaper boats that can hold six of us?” Peter asks, looking the man in the face as he stares back at Peter through black framed glasses.

“Only one, it’s around the back.”

The man points, indicating to look around the booth. Peter walks that way and almost laughs from disbelief when he sees a slender blue and orange canoe bobbing in the water with enough seats for six people. He walks back to the booth.

“You gotta have something other than that.”

“Listen, son, I just work here. You can rent the boat or not, either way I still get paid for a days work.” The man declares and Peter sighs as he transfers him the units, almost wincing in pain as he sees their balance decrease.

Once the old man in the booth walks around and detaches the canoe from its cleat- seriously though he looks familiar?? -he wishes them happy sailing as the Guardians stand there each holding oars, Rocket uncomfortably holding his as it’s about three sizes bigger than him.

“This is a joke, right? There’s no way I’m being seen paddling a lopsided canoe with you idiots.” Rocket complains, putting his oar down in defiance.

“I agree, this is a ridiculous idea.” Nebula adds, gripping her oar like it’s a weapon.

“It might be fun!” Mantis beams. “I have never been sailing before.”

“It might be horrible!” Rocket counters. “Look at Drax’s chunky ass, you think we’re getting across this water without it capsizing? If I get wet, it’s not going to end well for anybody-“

“Come on, guys.” Peter pleads. He looks at each of their faces and then out at the so called ‘water’ that is green in colour. “This is our only way over there, this our only chance of finding Gamora so I don’t even know why you’re bothering to complain because we’re doing this.” He concludes the conversation before going to step into the boat. As he sits down in it he can already feel his stomach warning him of the fact he gets sea sick easily. If he throws up then it _really_ won’t end well for anybody.

Rocket and Nebula sigh as the team starts climbing down into the canoe one by one. Peter is sat at the front with Mantis behind him. Rocket gets in next so that he’s closer to the middle seeing as he’s the lightest to balance out the weight. He’s followed by Groot and Nebula. And then it’s Drax’s turn.

“Oh God, here we go.” Rocket says. “Say goodbye to your nice dry branches, Groot. As soon as muscle man gets in this whole thing is going belly up.”

Peter frowns at Rocket but then does look up at Drax who is standing on the edge of the dock, for some reason looking heavier than he remembers. Now he’s thinking about his hair getting wet and clears his throat.

“Uh Drax, buddy, try and take it easy when you hop in, okay?” He advises, knowing how heavy footed the man is.

Drax gently (as gentle as he can be) eases himself into the canoe and it instantly tips upwards a bit. Ignoring Rocket’s swearing (he’s starting to think Rocket’s is as scared of water as cats are), Peter shifts himself forward in an attempt to evenly distribute the weight. When the boat settles down relatively level on the water he stretches to turn and look at his team.

“See, not so bad.” He assures.

“Yet.” Rocket counters.

“This is fun!” Mantis laughs out. “Let’s go!”

He hears Nebula sigh before he tells them to dunk their oars into the water. He guesses they just all put them out on the same side and instructs them to start rowing. It looks like their doing fine as they move away from the port. But when suddenly Peter sees the booth they came from again he frowns.

“I assume we are not supposed to be going in a circle.” Nebula says with an irritated tone. She’s probably not used to all the chaos that follows them where ever they go but for Peter this is just another random problem out of many. Well, she’s a Guardian now, at least she’s getting the full experience.

“Nope, we’re not. Try alternating the side of our oars.” He suggests, with him Rocket and Nebula holding their oars to the left and Mantis, Groot and Drax to the right. Once they start rowing they make it off to a good start, getting into a rhythm that does actually turn out to be kind of fun... if he ignores the rising sickness in his stomach. He almost laughs to himself. Never in a million eons did he think he’d go canoeing with this bunch while forcing them to sing ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ in order to set the pace for rowing (Nebula and Drax refusing to take part, Rocket agreeing to hum along only) but at this point, nothing should surprise him.

Once they had been rowing for a while and Peter’s arms started to ache, he could see the shore for HalvaCenter start to come into view. Then he thinks they may actually do this without him throwing up or being tipped in the water or as Rocket said it going ‘belly up’. But, of course, that’s too much to ask.

As they edge closer to the shore, it’s pink sand calling them to dry land, he feels his stomach go over. He’s almost as green as the water as Mantis’ antennae spring up, sensing his sickness.

“Quill, are you okay?”

“Me? Oh yeah, I’m totally good, totally fine-“

“Oh flarkin heck, he’s gonna hurl on us!” Rocket yelps. “Quick! Row faster, I’m not dealing with any of that.”

“No, no wait!” Peter warns, Rocket and Drax the only ones staring to row faster which sends the balance of the boat into a frenzy. Every sway of the canoe is magnified in Peter’s mind and the water sloshes and suddenly his heads spinning and-

He bends over to the side as he throws up, a collective ‘Ahhhh!’ erupting from the Guardians followed by a ‘That is repulsive!’ from Nebula.

“I’m sorry guys, I’m sor-“ Before he finishes he thinks he’s going to heave again and so leans over to his left but before he realises it’s a false alarm he’s already leaned over too far. The canoe flips over, submerging all six of them in the murky sea. With his swearing coming out as bubbles under the water Peter swims to the top, paddling over to aid a panicking Mantis who he guides over to shore. As they plonk themselves in the pink sand, Groot and Nebula join them, followed by Drax who walks up as though nothing just happened.

“I knew that was going to happen. Idiots.” Nebula shakes out her metal arm as though worried of her circuits being damaged. Peter catches his breath as he shakes water out his hair, knowing that when it dries it’ll puff out into a curly mess. He’s about to retort when he senses someone missing.

“...Where’s Rocket?” He pants out. Instantly every Guardian looks down toward their feet to see him standing there. He isn’t.

It was then the sound of muffled shouting was heard coming from the upside down canoe that was still swaying in the water. Peter’s insides explode with panic.

“I am Groot? I am Groot!”

Groot runs towards the water but Peter’s already ahead of him. He dives into the sea, not caring about how gross it looks and swims frantically over to the boat.

“Rocket? Rocket!”

“Yeah I’m under here you d’ast #%$!@-“ He calls back. Peter strains as he struggles to lift the boat off of him, then wonders when he got so strong as it flips off until he realises Drax has come up beside him and is lifting the boat. As soon as he sees Rocket he grabs a hold of him, swimming with him tight in his grip as they make it to shore. Once there, Rocket pushes him away from him.

“Get off me, Quill.” The raccoon shoves him away as Peter pants.

“Uh, you’re welcome?”

“Welcome to what? Having you- almost drown me? Is that what I’m- supposed to be... grateful for-“

Rocket heaves in breaths and suddenly Peter doesn’t think it’s just from the water.

“Rocket, are you okay?”

“I’m fine! Just lay off me- let me catch my breath...”

Peter’s not convinced, the look of panic in Rocket’s eyes transferring to his own.

“Clearly something’s wrong. Why are you freaking out-“

“Maybe this isn’t the first time I was trapped surrounded by water thinking I was gonna drown!” Rocket shouts, seeming to have controlled his panic with his anger. Peter looks down at him, a confused and concerned frown on his face.

“What are you talking about?”

Rocket sighs. “On your dumb home planet. Just before you all arrived through your sparkly circles, me and another guy uh- Roady? Battle Machine? I dunno the guy with the cool suit got trapped under some rubble while water filled up.” He paused, taking a deep breath as he calmed himself. “Really thought I was gonna croak it until that Giant Guy turned up and busted our asses out of there...”

He finishes as he shakes out his fur, puffing it out into a fuzzy mess as Peter stands there slightly speechless. It sounds like Rocket wasn’t joking when he said he went to hell and back to get them all home. A pang of guilt sparks in Peter’s gut for some reason... he should have been there- well obviously he couldn’t have been there for dust particle reasons but- he doesn’t know, he just feels like he should always be there when a member of his team is in distress.

Peter clears his throat, sensing the gravity of what Rocket just said weighing on all of them. He looks at Mantis as she squeezes water out of her black hair, guess she doesn’t think canoeing is fun anymore-

“That was awesome, let’s do it again!” She chants out, standing as pink sand coats her trousers. The expression Rocket gives her could slice metal. Peter gives a forced smile, he looks over to the land of HalvaCentre. There’s a lot more greenery but he can see the high rise buildings of the city within.

“Come on. Let’s finish this.” Peter says as he walks towards the city and gestures at them to follow. He walks briskly as he shakes water out of his hair, wishing they’d brought a change of clothes as his jeans hang heavy with saturation on his legs. This won’t take long though, he’s determined to find her.

And he’s determined to find her _today_.

 

 

Next chapter: Society of Idiots Protecting Women (sounds weird I know but I promise it will make sense)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re very close guys! Also, did anyone notice my Stan Lee cameo?? It was only fitting that I sneak him in there somewhere. Plus, I thought I’d drop in that Rocket has a slight fear of water now after endgame, the way he was panicking in that scene where he was trapped under the rumble with Hulk and Rhodey waiting for Scott to save them broke my heart (maybe I was just an emotional wreck from the rest of the movie).  
> Anyway, more to come <3


	9. Society of Idiots Protecting Women

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today! I’m excited to share them with you. Comments are appreciated.  
> Enjoy!

Okay, alright, yep, sure, okay.

Peter can really see why Calculex is renowned for its crime and bounty hunting now. Turns out HalvaCenter makes D’Bana Crux, the last city they were in, seem like the friendliest place in the universe. Essentially, this city looks like it was already in chaos and alchemy before Gamora turned up.

They had walked away from the pink sea shore and past another port where there was a much wider selection of boats and followed a trail that led into the heart of the city, passing greenery and little orange flowers that gradually decayed and turned into dried up weeds as they got closer. When they did get to the city, they didn’t have to notice the torn down warning sign to know there was constant ongoing crime. Before they had taken two steps through streets, Peter was already almost pushed over as someone barged past him, running so fast like they were sprinting for their life. After Peter shouts at him angrily someone else shouted from behind Peter even angrier, yelling after the running man to ‘Stop!’ and that he ‘was gonna catch him and collect that bounty before someone else does!’ There were about five other instances like that in the space of ten minutes from when the Guardians first arrived.

“Where should we start looking?” Drax asks, blocking the suns of Calculex out of his eyes as he looks over at Peter.

“I guess we just check everywhere.“

And that they did. They walked into bars and searched all the dingy booths until a bar fight erupted and they left. They checked stores that were basically deserted, looks like even the shopkeeper had jumped ship seeing as half the stock was missing, most probably stolen... Look, you can’t blame Peter for stealing a couple of pieces of clothing, alright? It was just a t-shirt and a pair of jeans anyway, his clothes were still saturated from earlier and no one was looking so what was he supposed to do?! As the Guardians left that store, Mantis and Nebula wearing matching (also stolen) ‘I survived a trip to HalvaCenter’ t-shirts, they crossed over the street to the next store. And then another one. Then whenever they heard the sound of fighting (which was often) they’d run in the direction of the commotion assuming Gamora had to be mixed up in there somewhere, but came back running away when they got caught in the crossfire and Gamora was decidedly not there. They even started knocking on doors, thinking maybe she was in one of the many apartments here or that at least somebody had seen her. The most they got were slammed doors in there faces and they soon got the message after simply ringing a doorbell and then hearing the sound of someone cocking their shotgun from the other side of the door.

It had been hours of searching and Peter ignores the fact that streetlights have turned on and that there was a slight chill in the air. He ignored the fact that two suns were turning into two moons because that means it’s already the end of the day. _He_ _promised_ _himself_ _that_ _he’d_ _find_ _her_ _by_ _the_ _end_ _of_ _the_ _day_... But now he notices the Guardians’ pace getting slower as they walked through the streets even though he still walked like he was pumped full of coffee. He felt the morale of initial hope drop as Groot yawned and Mantis shivered from the cold. Yet he still tries to block Rocket’s voice from his ears when he spoke, knowing what he was going to say.

“I think we should call it a day, Quill.”

Peter ignores him, acting as though he didn’t hear him since he was walking far ahead of them and going over to a shop until they just put up a closed sign.

“Quill.” Rocket jabbed.

“Give it a couple more hours, it’s not that late yet.”

“Would ya at least stop for a second?”

Reluctantly, Peter stops in his tracks as he hears the shuffle of his team halt behind him. He turns around and looks at them, sighing as he scans them over until Drax speaks.

“We have been searching all day. Perhaps she is not here-“

“She’s here.” Peter cuts him off. “We just haven’t looked everywhere yet.”

“Look, I know you want to find her and so do I. But Groot’s tired, I’m tired, I dunno if Nebula gets tired but she’s bound to run outta batteries soon.” Rocket says as Nebula turns to give him daggers. “Let’s just regroup ourselves and-“

“Guys, you know I hate bossing you around but we have to keep looking-“

“You love bossing me around and we will keep looking, but in the morning when I’m not fighting to stay awake.” Rocket says, leaning against Groot’s leg as he exaggerates a yawn.

“Where are we even gonna go? We can’t steal an apartment.”

“We’ll think of something, alright? Look.” Rocket points behind Peter, a large flickering sign for a diner shines neon pink and blue lights over his jacket. “Let’s just stop in there and get some grub. Food’s bound to be cheap and we can just take a moment to clear our heads.”

Peter looks up at the sign dismally and looks back at his team even sadder. He doesn’t want to stop looking, and he knows that he’s being ridiculous for not wanting to take a break, they’ve been searching for hours and hours and he knows everyone’s tired, so is he. But he can’t shake the insatiable need to keep looking because she’s all he can think about. The thought of going another minute without seeing her hurts enough let alone having to wait until morning. He sighs as he rubs his eyes.

“You guys go ahead and go in there. I’m gonna keep looking.”

“I am Groot?”

“Yes, on my own.”

“I’m not sure it is wise for us to split up.” Drax warns, ice blue eyes bright in the darkness.

“No, let him go.” Rocket shrugs as he walks past Peter towards the diner. “If humie wants to go off searching through the night without the rest of us then let him do it. He’ll soon come running back to us when his stomach starts growling and stars know he won’t ignore that. Come on, Groot.” Rocket walks ahead and gestures Groot to follow which he reluctantly does after giving Peter a sad look. Nebula doesn’t hesitate to walk away but Drax and Mantis try convincing him to go with them one final time before they follow. He watches them go in, making sure some whack job in this crazy city doesn’t try to rob them or anything like that and when he sees that they’re in there safely he turns and continues to walk down the street.

He does what they have been doing all day; checks any stores that are still open even though most are shut, he even risks knocking on a few doors again but it seems as though people just ignore him rather than try and shoot him. And as he walks through the city for at least another hour he feels this _horrible_  and painful ache grow throughout his whole body. With every second he tries to ignore the fact that he’s failed, he feels pressure build up in his eyes because, not only has he failed himself, he’s also failed her. He’s failed his team, dragging them across the galaxy and through police stations and literally making them travel across the sea because he’s too deep in denial. ‘Blinded by optimism’ as Nebula put it. There were _seven_ _days_  between Gamora leaving D’Bana Crux to come here and him found out where she’d gone. She has probably left by now. She’s probably gone and he just missed her again.

And now he’s alone, in the cold and the dark wondering what the hell he’s going to do. And the only thought that comes to mind of what to do makes him physically sick.

He walks into the next bar he comes across and orders some shade of brown liquid he sees from behind the counter. Peter Quill is not a heavy drinker. At least he never used to be. He doesn’t want to be either, but life hasn’t been very kind to him recently and with Thor around chugging the stuff like it’s water while he was at his most vulnerable (not that it’s his fault) made him think that it could be used to numb his pain. But it doesn’t. He gulps the disgusting liquid down, screwing his face up in a way that almost makes the bartender laugh and then orders another. As he holds the glass in his hands he literally feels the lowest he’s ever been and urges the tears in his eyes not to fall because there’s no way he’s crying in a dingy bar like a loser. But then he thinks maybe that’s what he is.

He’s about to grit his teeth and swallow another slosh of alcohol when the sound of something slams down on the counter beside his head. Naturally, he jumps up from the sudden noise and turns around to see what caused it. It’s a bag stuffed full to the brim with units and flashy bits of silver things and what he guesses is jewellery. The person who slammed the bag down draws the bartender’s attention with their hand, their hood flopping over their face as they summon him to come over.

“Do you know where I can exchange these units for smaller credits? I have grown tired of carrying them around with me.”

The voice is muffled by a mask covering the bottom part of their face and Peter frowns when he hears them speak, the alcohol causing a haze in his ears as he watches the bartender’s reaction.

“That’s a mighty big sack of cash you got there with you. Shouldn’t display your wealth in a city like this.”

The person rips off a pair of worn out gloves to reveal slender green fingers and silver rings.

“I am not worried about anyone attempting to steal it from me.”

Peter sits up. He almost falls off his chair at how fast he sits up. He feels his legs go weak and his head go light. When the person beside him pulls down their hood and mask, a bundle of glossy maroon waves flow out. The light shines against her silver scars and her scent sways in his direction as the hood falls to her shoulders. She gives the bartender a fierce look and Peter feels like he’s just been punched in the gut at the way his insides explode.

Gamora tucks hair behind her ear as she questions the man again.

“Is there a bank in this city?... or more suitably, a seedy underbelly where I can get these exchanged? Somewhere close by would be ideal, I’m staying at that appalling excuse for a hotel up north.”

Her voice.

 _It’s_ _her_ _voice_.

“No banks around here... fear of getting robbed puts them out of businesses.” The bartender replies and Gamora is amused.

That smile. It’s her smile and he almost gasps. Peter feels himself frozen in awe as he stares at her, his heart pounding out of his chest, lost for words as a tear rolls down his cheek. After staring at her for far too long, Gamora senses his presence and gives him a side glare.

“Is there something you would like to say to... me...“ She pauses as she catches his face, scanning it over rapidly with her eyes as she turns her body language to face him.

“...I recognise you.”

Peter feels his heart constrict. She- _she_ _knows_ _him?_ She rememb-

“The battle on Terra... Yes, you were there.”

As she speaks Peter feels like he’s just been thrown into the vacuum of space. He watches her lips move. Feels her voice speak into his soul. The lighting of the dimly lit bar frames her face and highlights her features. She looks so... so... perfect, Peter thinks. She looks more beautiful than he remembers even though he didn’t think that was possible. He stares into her eyes and stops breathing. Her eyes are looking at him. They’re bright and warm and _they’re_ _looking_ _at_ _him_.

“Am I mistaken or...?” She asks, a slight crease forming in her brow as Peter stares with soft intensity into her face.

“No...” His voice comes out almost as a whisper. “Yes, yeah that was me.” He wipes a tear quickly from his face. “You remember? You kinda kicked me in the-“

“Did you trace me here?” Gamora’s voice radiates the same strength he remembers as she cuts him off. When he doesn’t answer quickly enough she speaks again.

“Is there something that you want?

“...Yes.” Is the only word he can get out. He wants to slap himself around the face and act properly but it’s like his body has absorbed all the shock he’s in and is still reeling from the anticipation of his exact moment.

Gamora sighs, a short delicate exhale that contrasts her whole persona.

“Look, I know that we have a history... in the future.” She frowns as though confused by her own words. “But I do not know you.”

She pauses, the tuft of hair she tucked behind her ear swaying forward as she looks down.

“...And currently, I have no interest in knowing you. Excuse me.”

She grabs her bag of units and turns, walking towards the door as Peter stands up rapidly. He follows her out of the bar and manages catches up to her.

“Wait. No, please wait!”

His hand reaches across and touches her arm. For a moment he’s in euphoria at her contact, the realisation that he is not hallucinating her presence triggering elation until Gamora turns around and snatches his hand. She holds it tightly and pulls it in, slightly bending Peter’s arm to her will as she stares intensely at him.

“You must not have heard me. I do not wish to be bothered by you or your team.” She looks over his face and releases him, turning to walk away.

“Wait!” The word flies out of Peter in desperation. She stops only to give him a warning glare. Peter’s heart clenches at the lack of recognition in her eyes.

“Leave. Me. Alone.”

Before Peter can speak again he hears another voice to his right.

“Excuse me ma’am, is this man bothering you?” A tall (totally ripped) dude strolls upwith his arms crossed followed by a clan of other men. He smiles at Gamora and glares at Peter. Peter looks at him with the most enraged expression and stares right back at him.

“Excuse me sir, wanna mind your own business?” Peter retorts, looking up into the man’s twisted face before noticing Gamora has lost interest and looks readyto walk away.

“Gamora, wait, please I-“

“You know, it ain’t right to give a lady attention when she don’t want none.” Mr Tall and Twisty states as he steps in front of Peter, wagging his finger as though telling him off.

“Yeah it ain’t right!” One of the clan members echo. When Peter looks over at who said it they have an even more threatening expression. Peter isn’t fazed.

“Hey, you better back off, okay? She’s my girlfriend, I know what I’m doing.”

“I am _not_  your girlfriend.” Gamora says with ferocity. Peter stops and looks up slowly at the tall thug’s expression change. _Great_ , _that’s_ _great_. _Thank_ _you_ _Gamora_ , _that’s_ _exactly_ _what_ _I_ _needed_ _to_ _get_ _out_ _of_ _this_ _situation_ -

“Okay, big guy.” The thug laughs. “Pack it up and get outta here.”

Peter scoffs at him whilst giving him the dirtiest look then almost yelps as Gamora starts to walk away. He goes to follow her and gets pushed back by one of these idiots. He can’t believe this.

“Okay dudes, listen. I’m on a _very_  short fuse right now and I don’t want to freak out on you, so just get the hell out of my way.”

He can still see Gamora as she struts away, skin luminous in the night light as she doesn’t bother to look back.

The thug smirks. “Is that a threat?” He jabs his question at Peter. “You know, guys like you who like to hassle women and pick fights are the scum of the universe.”

The words don’t register in Peter’s ears as Gamora goes out of view. Instantly he goes to run after her.

“Gamora!”

He’s pulled back by his jacket by one of the members of the so called ‘Society of Idiots Protecting Women from creeps’ but the thing is, he’s not a creep and these idiots should put a pretty good service to some good damn use and not on him when he’s trying to “bother” the love of his life. When they push him back again, Peter snaps.

“Oh screw this.”

He leans backwards before punching the tall one in the nose. When he falls down Peter goes to take off running after Gamora but one of the other guys jump on him. He punches him off and goes for his blaster (becasue he’s really lost all patience) but before he can do so two more of these guys (how many of them were there?!) have hauled him up and are holding him back as the tall one regains his composure.

“Respect women dude!” He chants before punching Peter in the gut. The others echo the chant as Peter essentially gets beat up outside of a random bar for ‘hassling’ a woman by a bunch of idiots who didn’t understand the situation.

When they’re done with him they throw him to the ground and he spits out blood before swearing at them as they walk off. They turn around look at him after his insult, but continue to walk away as Peter stands up. He wipes the blood from his nose and winces as he stands up but takes of running as fast as he can in the direction Gamora went. As he runs he searches but she’s no where to be seen. He stops and pants and yells in frustration as his whole body aches. Then he gathers the strength to walk back to the only place he can think of.

 

Next chapter: A Terran, a Hamster and a Talking Tree walk into a diner...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter go go go!


	10. A Terran, a Hamster and a Talking Tree walk into a diner

“ _Oh_ _for_ _flarkin_ _fucks_ _sake!!”_

Rocket looks up from his Grog and Grub Special as he hears a familiar frustrated shout from outside the diner.

“Oh, Quill’s back.” He says casually, knowing who it is without having to look. When he does look out the window, he almost jumps out of his seat at the sight of him.

“What the...” He says as Peter swings his way into the diner. Drax looks behind him to get a glance from the booth they’re sitting in and instantly stands up, Peter looking like he’s about to fall down.

“Quill! What happened?” He demands as he insists that Peter sit down in his seat, then pulls his arm across his shoulders to support when Peter refuses, caught up his own ramblings to notice Drax’s courtesy.

“I was just- I can’t believe this is happening- I was in a bar and- they didn’t even have a karaoke machine- anyway I was drinking and it tasted gross but then I heard this noise so I looked around and- oh, don’t worry about my face it looks worse than it feels, you should see the other guy-“

“Would ya stop rambling nonsense and tell us what happened?!” Rocket yells as he stands up on his chair. “What, you get jumped or something?”

“Yes-“

“By whom?!” Drax blurts out. “We shall find them and destroy their-“

“I am Groot!!” (‘I told you not to go by yourself!!’)

“Guys-“ Peter tries to interject.

“That’s it, where’s my gun?” Rocket says, fumbling his paws over his back as he pulls it out. A waiter that walks past almost drops someone’s entree at the sight of them.

“No, guys I’m tryna tell you that-“

“There is no point getting into unnecessary fights.” Nebula challenges, glancing up at Peter with no empathy. “It is his own fault he got robbed.”

Mantis’ wide eyes define empathy as she looks at Peter. “Quill, are you okay?”

“I-“

“Of course he’s not okay, look at his d’ast face!”

“I am Groot!”

“Perhaps we should venture out and pursue the person who did this.”

“Pursuing then would be a waste of time-“

“ _Would_ _you_ _all_ _shut_ _up_ _I’m_ _trying_ _to_ _tell_ _you_ _that_ _I_ _just_ _saw_ _Gamora!!”_

Peter shouts in frustration as the whole diner goes silent, expect for the waiter who drops the whole tray of food at the sound of Peter’s shout. Peter eases Drax’s arm off of him and collapses onto his seat next to Mantis who bundles up some napkins and hold it to his head. All of the Guardians sit stunned as his last words ring through the air.

“You- you... you saw her?” Rocket asks with a low voice. “Like with your own eyes? You weren’t hallucinating or nothin?”

Peter sighs as he tries to catch his breath, his heart still racing from the whole encounter.

“Yes! I saw her, we spoke!”

“Is she the one who beat you up? Again?” Rocket says, less shocked than before like it was only logic.

“No, she-“

“I am Groot?!”

Peter looks at Groot, expression somewhere between offence and reassurance as he answers his question.

“Yes, Groot, she’s fine. Please, don’t worry about me-“

“Well if she’s alive and you saw and her and _spoke_  to her then why the hell isn’t she here with you?!” Rocket yells out, holding out his paws as though he was baffled by Peter’s inability to bring her here.

“For God’s sake- if you would just _let_  me speak then I’d explain everything to you!”

For once the Guardians stay quiet for more than 5 seconds as Peter bombards their minds with the way he was bombarded, not sparing any details.

“-and I looked at her and she looked at me! Her hair was so beautiful and she- oh, and she was wearing this jacket that brought out her eyes-“

“Is all of that really necessary? Just get to the point.”

“Yes Nebula, it is necessary. I’m telling a story here, I have to set the scene-“

“So what? You went to follow her and she kicked your ass?” Rocket asks.

“No, I went to follow her and I thought she was gonna kick my ass but these guys strolled up and thought I was hassling her.” Peter sighs, shaking his head in annoyance.

Rocket shrugs. “Who can blame ‘em? Whenever Gamora’s around, you do get all _clingy.”_  Rocket says the word as though it disgusts him.

“Dude, come on.” Peter says tiredly, going to hold his hand over Mantis’ who was still mopping up the blood from his face. He forces himself to smile at her and then Drax’s voice boomed to his left.

“So you have no knowledge of her whereabouts now?”

Peter paused. Urging his exhausted brain to think for once.

“...No... Dammit, I should have asked her, I should have-“

“Well which direction did she go?” Nebula questions, sitting up straight with attention, doing well to hide the desperation of finding her sister.

“Um... she took off north-“ Peter suddenly freezes, a new memory coming into his mind. He gasps but doesn’t say anything as he thinks.

“...What happened, did he just break?” Rocket says, frowning. He takes the straw out of Groot’s space soda and pokes it at Quill. “Hey, you think of something?”

Peter looks at him, green eyes wide with excitement. “She said something about a hotel! A uh... uh... ‘an appalling excuse for a hotel’! That’s what she said, that’s where she is!”

“Where is the nearest hotel out here?” Mantis asks quickly, Peter’s enthusiasm sparking her antennae.

“I don’t know. I-“ Peter jumps up, making everyone else at the table jump as he goes over to the waiter who is sweeping up broken glass.

“Hey buddy are there any hotels around here?!” He asks, the waiter standing back slightly at the way in which Peter’s question was hurled at him.

“Uh... oh yeah, there’s one about 20 minutes from here. I wouldn’t recommend it though, it’s pretty shabby-“

“Which way?”

The man points out the diner. “Come out here and take the first corner, then it’s just a straight road-“ and before the guy can finish, Peter runs out of the diner and flies past the window as an unbelieving Groot, Drax, Rocket and Mantis watch the crazed Terran sprint up the road. Nebula merely rolls her eyes.

“Come on, come on, come on!” Rocket rushes as they all hurry out the booth the catch up to him. Drax shovels the last piece of his food into his mouth.

“Hey! Stop that hamster, he didn’t pay!!” The diner owner yells from over the counter as the Guardians file out of the doorway.

“We saved the galaxy three times, how’s that for a payment?!” Rocket yells back as the well disturbed and confused customers at the diner watch a Terran in a red jacket sprint out of view and a hamster standing on the shoulder of a tree with the rest of the team running after him. Well, all apart from Nebula, she walks at a moderately brisk pace behind them with her arms crossed wondering how she ever got mixed up with such idiots.

 

Next chapter: Is That A Sword or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Peter, it’s like I can feel his stress whilst writing this. BUT, Gamora is just a 20 minute walk away... or 10 if you run fast enough.
> 
> Next chapter very soon.


	11. Is That a Sword or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One word: ANGST.

Turns out a 20 minute walk can be cut down to 10 if you run fast enough.

Peter runs down the dusty streets of HalvaCenter, it’s pink dirt tinted a pale grey in the moonlight. Every so often a flash of light goes by as he runs past a street light and all he can hear is the sound of his own breathing until shouting emerges behind him.

“Slow the heck down!”

Peter slows into a jog as he hears Rocket’s voice and then bends over as he gasps air, holding onto his torso as his recent beating makes itself known. As he tries to catch his breath the others pull up next to him.

“...Sorry I... ran... off.” He pants out, standing as Nebula strolls up to join them.

“You should be. You gotta cool it, Quill. You’re acting bat shit crazy!”

“Uh- well excuse me if I’m acting a little crazy right now, I just saw my once-dead girlfriend of four years from the past who didn’t recognise me!” Peter snaps back, staring down at the highlights of Rocket’s fur in the dim lighting. Drax attempts to diffuse the situation.

“I do not see the problem with Quill running off and leaving us behind. He’s so slow, it was effortless to catch up to him.” Peter raises his hands as though to question the shade just thrown at him as Drax continues. “Besides, it seems we are almost at the destination.” Drax points up to a sign in the distance.

It’s roofed by a flickering light which, in between the flashes, advertises a ‘Five Star Hotel in 0.3 miles’. Peter looks up at it as though it said ‘Love of Your Life in 0.3 miles’ and immediately starts walking again. The Guardians walk down the street in a group, there’s little conversation apart from Drax giving Peter some exercise tips so that he’s not so out of breath next time. After a few moments of walking, a building comes into view and they stop in front of it. The sign says ‘Welcome to ABAD Hotel, the finest hotel in all of HalvaCenter’ and Peter and Rocket scoff in unison. For a ‘five star’ hotel it looks like it’s got five types of infestations and broken windows rather than luxury accommodation.

They walk in through the doors and go up to the reception, all expect Peter who just walks straight ahead looking for any sign of her. A hotel clerk walks up out of nowhere in a cheap suit and reeking of cologne.

“Ah, new guests! Welcome to ABAD hotel, the finest hotel in all of-“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys got a green chick staying here by any chance?” Rocket cuts the man off who looks beyond offended as he stares at the raccoon on Groot’s shoulder.

“It is against the law for me to give away the information of our guests-“

“What law? On the way here I saw three ships get stolen and had to refrain myself from stealing at least five lethal looking guns from people just walking around.” Rocket challenges, eyeing the receptionist up as he does the same. Peter walks up now, his hair a fluffy spiralling mess as the hotel clerk steps back a bit at the sight of him.

“Gamora, her name’s Gamora but- maybe she gave a different name? Just show me the guestbook, I’ll be able to recognise her handwriting.”

“I’m sorry sir, I cannot do that-”

“Oh my God!”

Everyone jumps and turns at the sound of Nebula’s voice, each Guardian frowning at the rare tone in her voice.

“Is that a rat-like creature I just saw running down the hallway?! What kind of a hotel is this?” Nebula shrieks and it’s immediately clear that she’s pretending becasue her acting skills aren’t great. She points down the hall with the most (unconvincing) disgusted look on her face. Though, the hotel clerk seems to buy it as the disgusted expression appears on his own face. He sighs sharply and runs towards the corridor, pulling out a radio that was attached to his belt and speaking in an exasperated tone to whoever was at the end of it.

“There’s another one of those rodents in the hallways! ...No, Terry, it’s not the snake, I got the snake yesterday...” he rambles as he sprints down the corridor after the nonexistent (or who knows in this place) ‘rat-like creature’. Nebula’s facial expression returns to her ever serious one and she walks past 5 extremely surprised Guardians, narrowing her eyes at each of them.

“He was taking too long... I thought I’d try something as juvenile as your methods seeing as I’m one of you now. I won’t be doing that again... though, I suppose it is cleaner than decapitating him.” She says as she walks behind the reception desk, retrieving the guest book and slamming it down below the face of Peter who is still standing with his jaw dropped.

“Did you just- what just happened-”

“Get on with it!” Nebula hisses as she cuts off Quill’s blatant shock and points to the book.

Peter blinks and clears his throat as he starts flipping through it, mind still swirling with Nebula’s performance. He flicks through the book rapidly, almost ripping a few pages as he lands on last week.

“Okay, okay, okay...” he mumbles as he runs his finger along the names then jolts when Gamora’s handwriting stands out. ”There!”

Rocket looks over his shoulder as he stands on Groot’s. “...’Zoe’? That’s the best fake name she could come up with?!”

“It says room 214, lets go!”

Peter strides away as the rest follow. They go to the elevator but after waiting for a while realise it’s broken and take the stairs. A long flight of stairs. Maybe Drax’s exercise tips would be useful... They trudge up the steps, Rocket happily sitting on Groot’s shoulder, whenever Groot complains saying that ‘he carried him around as a baby for months so this is what he gets’ as they come up to right floor.

Walking down the hallways is like the longest walk ever in Peter’s mind. His eyes dart to each number on the doors and with every one that gets closer to hers his heart beats a bit faster. His palms go sweaty, he feels his chest go tight and it’s like he’s going to see her for the first time again. And maybe he should be nervous, seeing as the last few times have always ended up with him getting beaten up in one way or another but right now he just feels... excited. So ridiculously and foolishly excited as his eyes land on room 214 and they all stop.

“Should we just knock?” Drax asks, barely getting his words out when Peter knocks on the door.

As his final knock echoes down the hall they wait for a moment and all they get in return is silence. Peter knocks again and calls through the door.

“Gamora? We just wanna talk, it’s uh....” Peter trails off as though unsure what to say next. Drax frowns.

“Say your name is Quill.”

“She doesn’t know who I am.”

“Well say something for stars sake.” Rocket adds.

“Ugh, _move_.” Nebula demands as she approaches the door, metal arm shining in the light as something shinier glints in her hand.

“I stole the spare key for this room downstairs.”

Peter watches as Nebula leans over, fiddling with the key in the door and his stomach goes over when the lock opens. Before anyone else, he makes his way to the front, opening the door slowly as he pokes his head around, then makes his way into the room. The others follow, walking close behind him as they enter.

“Uh, Gamora? We-”

Before he can finish a sudden green fist appears from nowhere and punches him against the face. Peter stumbles to the side as Drax eagerly steps forward.

“Gamora! We simply want to talk!”

“I told you to leave me alone.” She shouts as she takes a swing at Drax, recognition totally absent from her eyes as he deflects her punch and grabs a hold of her arm in attempt to stop her. She snatches her wrist out of his grasp and kicks him away from her.

“How dare you break into my room! Get out-“

“We didn’t break in we had a key.” Rocket hops off of Groot’s shoulder and Gamora looks at him as though she were hallucinating.

“I knew this place has rodents.” She says as she storms over to Rocket but Groot stands in front of her, his eyes wide concern at the lack of Gamora’s recognition.

“I am Groot!!”

She frowns at the talking tree and turns to pick up her sword, holding it out in front of her in a threat to all of them.

“I don’t know who you people are, or what you want but I want no part in it.” She says, voice laced with ferocity. “And if you do not stop pursuing me then I shall-”

“Sleep!”

Gamora drops her sword and goes limp as she falls forward, landing flat on her face with a snore as Mantis stands behind her, eyes wide and expression tense with her hand raised. Peter looks down at Gamora’s sleeping frame in front of him, rubbing his jaw as he looks up at Mantis.

“Oh my God... this whole situation is getting worse by the second!-”

“What d’you mean?” Rocket shouts out. “Knocking her out is exactly what I would have done if I had a taser. Good job, bug lady.” Rocket nods at Mantis and she smiles warily at the rare praise from him.

Peter stands up, more stressed out than he’s ever been in his life as Nebula walks over to Gamora and bends down to look at her.

“Where the hell were you?! You could have calmed her down!”

Nebula looks up at him, black eyes following him as she stands. “Anyone who knows Gamora _should_  have known that she was going to attack a group of fools walking into her room in the middle of the night.” She retorts, folding her arms as Gamora’s snores fill the room. “I thought I’d let you take the damage, I’ve fought my sister more than enough times to know to avoid it when I can.”

Peter stares back at her as his heart races and for a second, he thinks he’s going to have a heart attack as he looks down at Gamora. So yeah, that went a hell of a lot worse than he expected because now he has an unconscious girlfriend who doesn’t think she’s his girlfriend who’s going to murder them all when she wakes up. He takes a breath, urging his pulse to slow down as he thinks.

“Okay, okay, well what the hell are we going to do with her now?! When she wakes up she’ll destroy us all.”

“Stop freaking out over nothin’.” Rocket says nonchalantly, going over to Gamora and kicking at her to make sure she’s out. “Just put her on the bed and we’ll take away all her swords and pointy things so she can’t take a stab at us when she wakes up, alright? Simple as that.” He says as he picks up Gamora’s godslayer, holding it with admiration.

“Always wanted to get a hold of this thing. Imagine the damage I could do with one of these.” He smiles maliciously as Peter looks down at him angrily.

As the next few moments unfurl, Peter had gently picked up Gamora and laid her neatly on the bed, being sure not to get worked up at the feeling of her breathing against his skin for the few seconds he held her, this being the first time they were in close contact since she kissed him on their way to Knowhere. Rocket volunteered to gather all of Gamora’s weapons (and there were a lot of them) and almost squealed when he saw the big bag of units she had on her bedside table, Groot literally having to slap the units out of his hand when he saw Rocket sneak one into his pocket.

And so, when the dust settled and they came to some sort of a plan about what to do next, every Guardian took cover as Mantis went over to wake Gamora up, Nebula standing at the foot of the bed prepared to talk Gamora down to a reasonable (and preferably not violent) temperament.

“Wake.” Mantis said gently as she sprinted back to take cover behind Drax, peeping her head over his shoulder.

Gamora stirred for a moment, not waking up with the jolt Peter expected like he saw with Thor. Instead she yawned as she came to consciousness, taking a moment rub her eyes before sitting up. Then her eyes met six other sets of eyes staring back at her and she gasped, startled as she fumbled around for any source of weapon to defend herself.

“Looking for this?” Rocket said, stroking Gamora‘s sword as though he’d claimed it as her eyes darted to him, her frown a threat alone.

“We’re not going to hurt you.” Peter said quietly, eyes fixated on her every move as she looked at him, his face being the only that she seemed to recognise until she looked over at Nebula standing in front of her. The shock was clear on her face.

“...Nebula?” Gamora says, her frown easing as she looked up at her. “Sister, what are you doing with these people?”

“We have searched galaxy in hope of finding you... I thought you dead, Gamora.”

And it’s the first time Peter has heard any sign of emotion in Nebula’s voice as she speaks and apparently it is for Gamora too who looks at her with a slightly confused expression.

“What would lead you to believe such a thing?”

“After the battle on Terra you disappeared. I thought you had died along with our father.”

Gamora pauses as though the words had stung her.

“...And what reason would I have had to stay?” There’s a touch of irritation in her voice. “I get thrown into battle against our father with you, who claims she is from the future and who I witnessed murder my current sister. Then this one shows up.” She nods her head at Peter. “Touching me as though I am his lover and then you tell me that it was either him or a talking tree.” Groot frowns in bewilderment. “So I am not ashamed to say that I was and am confused beyond comprehension. I have no idea what is going on and I do not like it.” Gamora stops, looking Nebula intensely in the eyes as a touch of sadness sparks in them. “Nebula, Thanos is dead. We are free to do what we please... Remember I told you of Calculex? I do not understand why you did not come on your own to join me, instead, choosing to travel with these strangers.”

 _Strangers_.

The word lingers in the air as each Guardian feels it hit them. It slaps them across the face in a way that hurts more than Gamora physically could. It’s another stab in Peter’s heart and he wonders if _that_ word has just broken it.

“Because, believe it or not, these people are your friends.” Nebula pauses. “They’re your family. Whether you do not know it yet, I know that I have never seen you so content with life as when you are around them. So I suffered the longevity of travelling with these people so you could meet them... They have taken me in as they once took you, and only a fool would fail to recognise how important it is to belong.”

As Nebula finishes Peter feels tears threatening to build at the expression on Gamora’s face. She looks so surprised at Nebula’s sentiment (and to be honest, he is too). Her brown eyes bounce between Nebula’s black ones and then dart to look at each of their faces, landing on Peter’s for slightly longer than the rest.

“...I do not know them.” Gamora says sadly.

“Do you remember when you asked me of our future on Terra?” Nebula asks, voice softer than Peter’s ever heard it. “I told you that we become sisters. And we did. We are. So I’m asking you to be my sister now and to trust me. And in turn, to trust everybody in this room.”

By the end of her sentence Nebula has laid her hand on top of Gamora’s and Gamora stares at it like its foreign contact. She stares at Nebula’s hand and frowns until her expression returns to sadness and lays her hand on top of hers. She returns her eyes to look at all of them, again resting on Peter as he almost feels breathless at the sight of her looking at him.

“Do you have a ship?” Gamora asks him, voice low with hesitance. “I am eager to get out of this pit of a hotel.”

“Y-yes. We have a ship.” He says, voice shaking as he yells at him self to not get emotional at the way she’s looking at him. “You’re more than welcome to come aboard if you would like.”

Gamora lingers her look in his eyes for a moment then nods. She gently removes her hand from Nebula’s and stands as she goes over to Rocket to snatch her sword.

“Give me a moment to gather my belongings... and I shall come with you.”

In that moment Peter felt his whole body sigh. He felt months of stress and pain and torture melt away at her words. He heard his breath tremble as he tried to play it cool and said they’d wait outside for her when she was ready. And when they do go outside, Peter says he needs to take a whizz and marches to the nearest bathroom. He locks himself in there as his hands start shaking and finally lets himself release everything that he’s been holding in. And with every tear that falls he feels himself get better. He feels himself heal and mend and for the first time in a long time feels like he’s going to be okay.

Because he got her back. She’s alive and breathing and is about to come home. And if she’s with him, that’s all he needs to know that he will be okay.

 

Next chapter: in progress!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just rip my own heart out for the sake expressing Peter Quill’s feelings in a fanfic? Yes, I most definitely did and there’s no one else I can blame but myself for crying over starmora right now. Apart from the Russo brothers.  
> There will be another chapter(s), I’ll go through Peter trying to get Gamora to feel at home and get to know them. More tears for me whilst writing on the way? I guess that’s part of the job. Stay tuned!


	12. There’s a Legend About You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter for this story! I know it looks like there’s another chapter but it’s a divider- it’ll make sense when you read it (but only after you’ve read this one ;).  
> This is probably the moment you’ve been waiting for since you started reading this, enjoy!

Gamora packs relatively quickly. It seems she had little belongings when arriving to Calculex, only having the clothes on her back and the ones she’d bought at the stores Peter had probably been in when looking for her. As they walk outside, Peter almost forgets that it’s night time when the dimness of the sky reminds him. It’s not as late as he thought, but his body aches as though he has been awake for days.

The walk through HalvaCenter isn’t awkward, it’s just quiet. The conversation that is, the city is still erupting with crime heard from every angle but it seems weirdly silent within their group as they walk. Gamora decides to walk next to Nebula, staying a couple of steps behind the rest of them. Peter leads the group, every so often look back to make sure he wasn’t dreaming and that Gamora truly is coming back with them. Each time he looks at her he makes an attempt to catch her eye and when he does, gives her a soft smile that she hesitates to return, but does so warily as he traces the curves of her lips with his eyes.

They make their way through the city, managing to avoid getting mixed up with any chaos as Peter stops abruptly when the dusty pink road turns into soft pink sand. He had completely forgotten that they made their way over here on a now capsized and washed away canoe that wouldn’t have been any use anyway seeing as it only seated six people and there were now seven. He winces internally, looking over at the port that showcases a load of boats - all of which he can no where near afford as he fumbles through his pockets for units. The last thing he wants is to make a first (second? third?) impression on Gamora as broke.

“Uh... I guess we need a boat, right?” He says as though he hadn’t worked that out already.

“I’m not going on anymore canoes, I’d rather stay in HalvaCountry or whatever it’s called. I’m not sailing you again.” Rocket huffs as he folds his arms, Gamora frowns at him.

“I can rent us a boat.” She says plainly, looking at Peter. “I have enough units, I can find one that will suit us.”

They walk over to the dock and Gamora wasn’t kidding when she said she’d find one to suit them. She picked out a spacious boat with more than enough room to accommodate them. Peter offered to steer of course, he chose this as a good moment to drop in (and possibly brag) that he was a pilot. As he expected, Gamora wasn’t overly impressed but it was something that took away from what he assumes is a kind of a bad first impression. He steers them there safely, managing to not get sea sick as he transferred all his attention on the steadiness of this boat compared to that rollercoaster of a canoe. Rocket stays clear of looking at the water as Groot keeps him distracted and Drax takes a power nap with snores that could have even capsized this vessel.

And in a whirlwind they make their way through D’Bana Crux, past the (joke of a) police station, manage to avoid the civilians still enraged about the damage Gamora had done previously and make it to their ship. When Peter sees the Benatar he sighs in relief and he can feel everyone else who recognises it sigh too. He goes to unlock it, thanking the stars that no one had trashed it or stolen it and lets everybody go on ahead of him, locking the door afterwards and shutting every ounce of chaos from this planet out.

Once onboard, he flicks on little switches that make an array of tiny lights glow as the ship refuses to rumble to life. Then he remembers that it needs fuel and sighs as he turns to look at his team, making eye contact with Gamora in particular.

“We’re not gonna be able to go anywhere tonight. I’ll go out early and get fuel in the morning.” He says sleepily, taking off his jacket and instantly regretting it as the coldness of the night wraps around him.

“Good, we can finally get some sleep.” Rocket announces. “Come on, Groot.” He taps Groot’s leg who does his usual teenage moan of how he’s not tired but reluctantly follows Rocket out of the room. But before Rocket leaves he walks past Gamora and stops as he looks up at her. He clears his throat.

“Uh... I know this is gonna sound weird or whatever because you don’t know me... and don’t think I’m some sappy bastard either, I’m only saying this because- well...” He shuffles uncomfortably, as though annoyed that the words are difficult to come out of his mouth. “I’m glad you’re home. Even if you don’t know us yet, sometimes I think you’re the only reason this d’ast team functions. Plus, I’m glad everyone can stop being a wallowing mess now.” He turns to Quill. “Especially you. Put your dumb music on again, this isn’t a funeral anymore.”

And with that Rocket walks away leaving Gamora surprised at his welcome, everyone else not so much because they know the only way Rocket expresses feelings is through choppy sentences and somehow having a jab at Peter. Before Groot walks out he hesitates and Peter’s heart clenches when he realises why. It used to be a thing that Groot did every night since he was a baby. He’d make sure to come and say goodnight to her every night without fail. When he was really young, it would be a goodnight hug but Groot’s teenage angst meant those were rare nowadays. But now he looks like he wants one more than ever. Peter watches him look sad as he mumbles a few words that he knows she won’t be able understand, which hurts the most because Gamora was the first one out of the rest of them apart from Rocket to learn ‘Groot’ fluently.

“...I am Groot.” He says directly to her, giving her his big brown eyes and then dropping them when she fails to reply due to lack of understanding.

“He says goodnight.” Peter translates, wanting to ease the sad expression on Groot’s face. Gamora looks at Peter as he speaks, then nods slowly as she returns to looking at Groot, giving a weak smile as she does so.

“Goodnight.” She says it plainly, mostly without feeling but Groot accepts it wholeheartedly and it makes him smile as he leaves the room.

Drax and Mantis make their way out too. Drax even dares to give Gamora a friendly pat on the shoulder before leaving, telling her ‘he’s most overjoyed that she has returned’ while Mantis beams at her brightly, seeming oblivious to Gamora’s unfamiliarity of her even though she must sense that it’s there. When they leave, Gamora almost looks overwhelmed at the kindness she has received and clears her throat as she looks at Nebula.

“Is there a room for me to stay in?” She asks. Peter speaks before his mind even registers what he’s saying.

“You can have our room- _my_  room.” He stutters as she looks at him. “I mean you can stay in my room, I’ll sleep out here.”

“Are you sure? This is your ship, I’d hate to intrude-“

“It’s-“ Peter sighs sharply, gathering himself as he let too much of what he was feeling project in his voice. “Its your ship too. Or at least it... it used to be.”

Gamora watches him for a moment before softly nodding, doing that thing that she does when she’s nervous or in an unfamiliar environment of fiddling with the rings on her fingers. Nebula breaks the silence.

“I suppose it won’t be long until he starts flirting with you. I don’t need to see that. I’m going to bed.” She walks out after giving Gamora a reassuring touch on her arm and slightly nods at Peter to acknowledge him, which he assumes was her saying goodnight and leaves the room.

He cockpit fills with silence as it’s just the two of them, Peter not being able to take his eye off of her which probably looks weird but all he wants is to go over there and get one of those good night hugs for himself. Instead, he turns on a confident demeanour as he speaks.

“Just let me get a few things from my room and then it’s all yours.”

Again she nods at him as she sits down to wait in one of the passenger seats and he walks out of the room quickly so she doesn’t have to wait too long. The door to his room flies open as he enters. He gathers some pyjamas and takes some spare covers (because the pilot seat really doesn’t make a comfortable bed) and is ready to walk out the room when he stops and notices how much of a freakin mess it is. He can’t let Gamora stay in here when it looks like this and maybe it could be worse, but if she’s here (and he knows she has a thing for cleanliness) then he wants to make it perfect... or as perfect as it can be within five minutes of cleaning. He runs around the room picking up dirty laundry, remakes the bed, cleans up a pile of Gear Shift candy he left on his dresser and grabs the bundle of clothes in the corner, quickly stuffing it into his wardrobe. As he does so, a box that was balancing on top of the wardrobe falls and conks him on the head. He jumps as though a ghost has just touched him and naturally goes to kick whatever just gave him a concussion but when he looks down at it he freezes. He forgot that was up there...

He picks up the box, regathers his pyjamas and spare covers and fumbles out of the room, doing a final check that it was suitable enough before going to tell Gamora she could go in.

Once she went in there, quickly using the bathroom beforehand (thank God he had a spare toothbrush), he went in the bathroom himself to scrub at his teeth for way to long as his mind wondered and splash water on his face in attempt to bring life back into his complexion. After that he does his routine check of the air pressure and oxygen levels before making his haphazard bed on the pilot seat and wraps himself in covers as he closes his eyes. He sighs as he lays (or sits) there, willing his mind to stop thinking, one person’s name buzzing in his thoughts as he urges his fatigue to take over and grant him solace. But after multiple failed attempts of trying to relax, his eyes flick open and he sighs again with annoyance as he pulls the covers off of him. And then he gets a thought.

He reaches across for the box from on top of the wardrobe that he left on the seat next to him and opens it.

...Okay, he doesn’t like to admit this because he can just hear Rocket’s mockery and the roasting he would get for having it which is exactly why no one else but him knows about it. It’s a little box filled with memorabilia of his last four years with the Guardians... he’s a nostalgic dude, okay? He likes having things to look back at, even if he did forget it was up there collecting dust on top of his wardrobe, because with his lifestyle it was important to focus on the good things. Though it has been a while since he updated it.

The first thing he sees are photos. One time on a random little planet, they came across a small shop that collected lost and found items from across the galaxy. Peter almost couldn’t believe it when he came across a Polaroid camera and was willing to pay however many units it costed to have it. At first he couldn’t work the damn thing, pictures coming out blurry and sometimes blank, but after Rocket had a hold of it, tinkering it to make it some super camera he was able to take photos when he wanted. They’re mostly of random stuff but some are significant. The first time Groot walked out from his pot. When Rocket accidentally used Gamora’s shampoo and came out looking like a fluffy Christmas ornament. When Drax came across peaceful pool that reminded him of his daughter and asked for a photograph with it. And as Peter looks through it he remembers why he made this little box. And then he gets another thought.

He springs out of his chair, the covers falling off of him and takes the box to the communal room where he sits at the table and picks out specific items and photos. He lays them out neatly as he carefully decides on each one and then almost jolts as a presence appears at the door.

“I did not mean to startle you.” Gamora say as she stands in the doorway hugging her arms, seeming tired as she speaks.

“You didn’t startle me, I’m just naturally jumpy.” He says, voice croaky with fatigue as he looks at her. “Can’t sleep?”

“No.” She says through a sigh. “I cannot get my mind to stop overthinking, it’s close to making me feel insane so I thought I’d get up and... look around.”

“Well, what do you think?” He asks, giving a tired smug smile.

“It is... substantial.”

Peter exhales a quiet laugh as his eyes drop to the floor, they’re brought back up at her next question.

“You also cannot sleep, Quill?”

“Peter.”

She gives him a questioning look. He makes himself more clear.

“My first name is Peter.“

She nods as he sees her making a mental note to call him that... the only reason he brought it up is because she was the only person who called him by his first name, and something just wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t anymore. 

Gamora adjusts her weight in the doorframe, eyes drifting away from his face as she speaks.

“What are you doing?” She lifts her chin as she looks over at the table to see what he’s working on. For some reason Peter feels a twinge of nerves before speaking.

“Something for you.”

Gamora stops to look at him, expression softening with surprise.

“For me?” As she says it she seems taken aback, fiddling with her rings again.

“Yeah, I mean, I couldn’t sleep either so I just thought- well I just thought maybe you... I thought you might like to see this.”

She walks over, coming to sit down on a the chair next to him. She sits closer than he expected and for the first time since seeing her again, he can sense the Gamora that he fell in love with- well, he fell in love with every single part of her- but he’s talking about that _real_  side to her. Behind the ferocity and behind the scary looking sword. Not the daughter of Thanos but _Gamora_. And honestly, he’s not even sure this Gamora knows herself. This Gamora still thinks her greatest capability is an assassin. But the reason that he loves her (and the reason he has come down here with this box) is to show her who she truly is... or was... or can be.

“What is it?” She asks, voice laced with intrigue as she looks at him.

“It’s about the life you had. With us... with me.” He slides the photographs in her direction. “Basically, it’s a bunch of stuff I’ve kept over the years because I’m overly nostalgic and get sentimental towards almost anything that makes me happy.” He says with a nervous laugh, but his nerves turns into excitement as Gamora picks up a photo.

She looks at it and immediately frowns. But then her frown turns into an expression Peter can’t scrutinise and she traces every part of it. He explains what she’s seeing.

“This was back when Groot was a baby and was obsessed with trying to braid your hair. It was a tangled mess usually, but he loved it and although you hid it well I think you liked it too.”

Gamora lifts the photo closer and strokes her fingers across her own face in the photo.

“This is me...?” She whispers the words though it can’t be.

“Yeah, and this-“ Peter pulls out another photo. “This was taken after our work on Xandar. The Nova took the picture of us to commemorate our work and gave us a copy.”

“What happened on Xandar?”

Peter lifts his eyes from the photo to look at her when the question registers in his ears. Somehow, he feels both sad and happy that he has to explain it to her. He knows that was one of the days she felt proudest of herself.

“It’s a long story...“

“I have time.”

She offers him the smallest hint of a smile, her expression willing him to continue as he smiles in return.

And so he tells her the story of Ronan and the power stone and of course the dance-off which she didn’t believe at first but he crossed his heart that he was telling the truth... then she asked how he would put a cross on his heart- Regardless of any metaphor confusion, they stay up for hours as stories of Xandar lead to stories of The Sovereign and then Ego and he essentially fills her in on all of their chaotic adventures across the galaxy. As Gamora listens she takes in every word, as though studying for a test about her own life, every so often stopping Peter to question his integrity at the wildness of his stories, but he explains that with this team, anything is possible. He rounds up the multitude of stories with the mission they were on just before... that day. That moment. When they got a distress signal from an Asgardian ship and travelled to Knowhere... and everything essentially went to shit.

“So what happens after that?” Gamora says innocently, eyes wide with new found wonder as Peter hesitates. He hesitates because his next words would be Thanos took you and killed you and I lost my mind with grief. And because of that he decides not to tell her because it would kind of be a downer to the mood he’s built up, to say the least.

“Um...” He looks over at the box, at first pretending to be distracted but then actually being drawn to somerhing. He’s well aware that Gamora is aware that he’s quickly changing the subject, but as he pulls out the little crumpled note and reads hit he feels a lump grow in his throat.

It’s a torn off piece of paper from the back of an old instruction manual for an intergalactic transponder. Her handwriting is in little purple swirls and he traces over each letter as memories flood back. The note reads:

’ _If_   _you_ _forget_ _to_ _empty_ _the_ _garbage_ _disposal_ _again_ , _I_ _will_ _end_ _you.’_

And it’s signed of with a little misshapen love heart that Gamora drew at the end of her threat.

As he stares at it he remembers that day like it was yesterday. He forgot to empty the garbage disposal a zillion times that week. But as soon as she left him that note where she knows he would look (because she attached to his Zune) he made sure to do it right away because, not to be a sappy moron, but she left him a freaking _love_ _heart_. Sure, it was placed after a threat, but if Gamora had ‘ended him’ as many times as she said she would have then he would be nonexistent by now.

He gets caught up in looking at it and then feels Gamora’s presence next to him as she waits. He clears his throat before handing it to her, trying to shake the heavy feeling in his heart.

“It’s your handwriting. You left that note for me once... Guess I kept it. Like I said, I’m pretty sentimental towards almost anything that makes me happy.”

Gamora takes the note and scrutinises it, as though checking it’s her handwriting and he watches her expression change when she sees the love heart. He can hear her thoughts and he knows that she knows that she would never (ever) draw a juvenile graphic of a cartoon love heart with all its affectionate connotations unless she truly meant it. So, as though Peter’s stories weren’t enough, she now knows that not only did she have a family but she had a partner. Someone she genuinely felt love for, as her scribbled misshapen heart suggests. A feeling that she didn’t think she was capable of. But the fact that it’s in _her_  handwriting confirms that she is.

She holds the note in her hand for a moment, glancing over to him as she tries to conceal any emotion in her eyes.

“That sounds like something I would say. The ‘end you’ part that is.”

Peter laughs softly, eyes bright with agreement. “I gotta say, you did say it a lot.”

“Well, did you empty the garbage disposal that day?”

“Yeah, even though it was gross.”

“Then that threat is effective.” As she says it she gives him the biggest smile yet and he feels his heart clench. He can’t help but return it and when he traces her smile with his eyes, when he feels how she’s becoming more comfortable around him already and can feel his spirit returning at her presence, he feels brave enough to show her some vulnerability as a thought comes into his head.

“Come on, I wanna show you something.”

She gives him a curios look before he leads her to his room. He opens the door and still feels surprised at how much neater it looks than normal as he goes over to his bedside table. He clomps down on the bed as the mattress bounces and invites her to sit next to him. As she sits down, she sits so close that her hair brushes his shoulder. As the bed accustoms their weight, Peter bends down and opens the bottom drawer of his beside table, revealing a bundle of material that he lifts to reveal something that glints in the light. As he pulls it out he feels the weight of what it represents crushing him for a moment, but suppresses it as he holds it in his hands.

He looks down at Gamora’s broken godslayer. The sword he once thought was unbreakable. The one Thanos snapped like a toothpick. The only trace of her that was left behind after Thanos took her from him. And even though it was broken and damaged and brought back painful memories. Even though it had no use to him and he mostly can’t bare to look at it. He knew he had to take it and keep it because he thought that was the last time he saw her alive. And if a broken sword was all he had from their last encounter, it would become his most treasured possession.

He hands the sword over to her and she slowly takes it, instantly recognising it as her expression jolts into a frown, running her fingers across the markings engraved on the blade.

“My sword... What happpend to it? How did you get this?”

Peter pauses as she stares at him, knowing that he hasn’t spoken about that day with anyone and the last person he ever expected to finally speak about it with was her.

“You know earlier when you asked what happened next? Well... that day... that day we went to Knowhere to confront Thanos. To stop him from getting the reality stone.”

Gamora’s frown melts into an expression of disappointment.

“So even after I escaped, Thanos would still be in my life.” She exhales a dismal laugh, looking down. “I knew starting a new life would be to good to be true.” She looks back up at him. “What happened?”

Peter swallows, that lump in his throat trying to prevent him from speaking the words. “...Thanos took you. And he- he...” He frowns, feeling pain all throughout his body. “He...” He sighs and closes his eyes at the fact that he can’t get the words out, angry at himself for being so weak. Then he feels a hand lay across his. He opens his eyes through the blur that has formed and sees Gamora’s warmth travel up his arm. He smiles sadly at her and she smiles sadly at him before speaking.

“I know what he did.” She says, as though to ease his pain, eyes laced with an inscrutable emotion. “I don’t know how he did it, but I always dreaded that one day, if I ever escaped my father he would find me and kill me... whether he claimed he favoured me or even possibly loved me or not.”

Peter bites his lip as he tries to get the pain to stop, what she says next triggering it more.

“But that isn’t love.”

She gently removes her hand from his and offers him back the broken godslayer.

“This. The fact that you kept this... what you have shown me... the welcome I have received from this team...” She pauses, showing the first real sign of vulnerability since arriving. “I never thought I could experience such a thing, a life like the one you’ve shown me. But knowing that I am capable of having a... a family... makes me want to stay.”

She says the f word like it’s foreign in her mouth, but once she finishes her sentence she looks hopeful. Grateful. And as she looks into his eyes he feels his heart mend. Then her eyes drop down to his waist, focusing on his belt and Peter wonders if things have moved that quickly-

“What is that contraption?” She asks, pointing to the little silver device attached to Peter’s hip.

He laughs softly as he detaches the Zune, catching the cord of the headphones as they unravel.

“It’s a Zune... my dad gave it to me.”

“What do you do with it?”

Peter almost laughs at hearing those words again, the setting of the balcony on Knowhere bursting into his mind. He figures, if he’s going to win her back, what better way to do it than the way he did it before?

“Do? Nothing. You listen to it. Or you can dance.”

Gamora gives him a look, her smile turning into to teasing judgement.

“I am an assassin, and a warrior. I do not dance.”

Now Peter laughs, the sound of it reflecting the true happiness in his heart that he’s feeling for the first time in weeks. He lifts the little silver headphones to her ears, making sure to play the song ‘Fooled Around and Fell in Love’.

 

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the ending attacked your heart as much as I attacked my own whilst writing it. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Please read the next chapter, it’s not based on this story, it’s more of an FYI.  
> Thank you again!


	13. Story Divider

OKAY so, that’s the first explanation. Remember when I said I was going to go through every possible explanation as to where the hell Gamora is? Well, I wasn’t kidding and for the sake of my other suffering starmora/gotg fans, I will sacrifice going through all the feels whilst writing it to give us closure. Speaking of sacrifice...

 

 **Explanation** **2** : Gamora from the present is still trapped in the soul stone and maybe there’s a chance they could get her out.

 

I do plan to continue this fic by going through this storyline. It will not be linked to the previous chapters since it’s an entirely different theory. It also won’t be uploaded immediately as I currently have my final exams so I will continue writing after exam season. Also, I have to do quite a bit of research into the soul stone because I like my fics to be as comic book/mcu accurate as they can be so, if I’m going to (possibly) include Adam Warlock, a character we’ve never seen properly in the mcu, I want to do him justice. Plus, there’s a lot to consider because surely if Gamora is in the soul stone, Natasha is too??

ANYWAY that’s getting ahead of myself. If you want, bookmark this or just try not to forget about me lol because I will be back with a full fic of soul stone searching, Guardian angst and humour and most importantly, a reunion between Peter and OUR Gamora with all her memories and love for his dumbass.

Finally I just want to say thank you for sticking with this fic if you made it this far. I have been writing in between studies and it’s important to me to reflect these characters accurately so I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I had the pleasure writing it. The gotg fandom is (ridiculously) small compared to the avengers fanom but I love our little gotg community (you guys are so nice and funny as hell, I wonder where that sense of humour comes from?)

Enough of me being dramatic, I’ll be back in a few jump points.

 

See ya, a-holes.


	14. Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys I’m finally back with the next storyline! It took longer than expected (exams + new character research is an exhaustive mix) but I can’t wait to share it with you. We’ll finally see Adam Warlock and some chapters will be from his POV! As always, thank you for reading and sticking with me this far. Let’s start with someone I hope you remember...

Gold is the colour of riches.

It is the pigment of wealth and pride and fulfilment. It is the very substance of which the Sovereign planet was forged. Blessed are the beings inhabiting it, skin coated in a hue that reflects their successes. Successes and an untainted reputation for thousands of eons. Known for being wealthy. Renowned and respected. By all, as it should be.

By all, apart from those damned Guardians of the Galaxy.

Ayesha sits on her gold plated block of isolation. Her limbs longing for the smooth sculpture of her throne, the throne that has been taken away from her. Much has happened on The Sovereign since that day when she allowed those thieves onto her planet. 

Much has happened.

Being the High Priestess- former High Priestess, she knows the value of pride. The importance of being respected and the insult of being undermined. Her people, the Sovereign, are humble people. They hire all sorts of unprivileged beings to guard over their relics. To protect what is their’s from any beast or threat or Titan that dares to tamper with it. And these beings should be grateful that they have the opportunity to walk the surface of The Sovereign, despite the fact they are beneath them. This planet is unlike any other. The power it holds is concealed from everyone but its inhabitants because of its value. Their ancestors are held legendary here, the founders of The Sovereign’s wealth, creating foundations for the planet built with an infinity stone’s power. That power, having now been used for something evolutionary.

Ayesha has been told she is a calculating individual. One who dwells on the misdeeds of others, a slave for perfection with an insatiable drive to maintain and, if possible, improve the Sovereign name. The Guardians of the Galaxy are the reason that name is now tarnished. 

Anulax batteries are one of the less, but still, valuable possessions that the Sovereign posses. They were threatened to be feasted on by an intergalactic beast and, at the time, Ayesha couldn’t think of anyone better to guard such treasure. The Guardians were known for saving Xandar, such bravery and an accomplishment that she deeply admired. It set their reputation, and if there’s anything Ayesha judges an individual about, it’s their reputation.

So why, then, did a foul mouthed, insulting, disrespectful, fur-ridden creature and his hybrid excuse for a Terran or a ‘Lord’ along with their other counterparts perform the most heinous, the most insulting act of stealing what they were hired to protect? 

And not only that. Additionally, they destroyed the whole of the Sovereign fleet. They _got_ _away_ _with_ _it_ and took the batteries, using them or selling them for stars know what.

They had left the Sovereign on the brink of collapse... not only due to their actions but their actions being the start of a long spiral down into what is now ‘The New Sovereign’ as the Council demands to call it.

Ayesha sits in her golden room. Robes and intricate designs of garments cloaking her shimmering skin. She still wears such regal garments of course - she’s not a savage. She comes in here to think. About _them_. About her former status... About the Council finding out what she has done, an act for which she knows she would be severely punished. 

And what she spends most of her time thinking about, the past nine years thinking about, is-

Her room door opens. A large sliding panel that shimmers as it forms an entrance. Instantly, she darts her attention to it, the person who has entered without invitation in store for her wrath until her gold eyes meet other gold eyes. The chambermaid enters and stands disheveled before her, body language reflecting the risk of their treasonous acts. Ayesha stands, holding her tongue from scolding her for the disturbance, knowing this must be of importance.

“What is it, my child?” She says, almost a whisper, as though the answer is all ready infused into her mind. The chambermaid clears her throat, hands wringing and Ayesha watches the words leave her lips.

 

“It’s Him... He is ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m uploading three chapters today because I wanted to make sure you guys had Peter in this first instalment - I’ll be uploading chapters daily/every other day.  
> By the way, the title of each chapter will be lyrics from a song that I think fits with the gotg soundtrack! Be sure to check them out if you like the music from the films. The title song for this chapter is ‘Gold’ by Spandau Ballet, 1983.


	15. Him

Nine years ago, Ayesha realised what was lacking in the universe. Perfection. Both in the beings who lived in it and in the galaxy itself. She had an idea, but dismissed it on the basis of it being too radical, too much of a fantasy for it to become reality.

But then, the need for her idea grew stronger. Justice, and with that, revenge is a powerful motivator. To bring the so called Guardians of the Galaxy to justice would be no easy quest - it would require a force like no other. A being like no other. 

The next step in their evolution. More powerful. More beautiful. 

More capable of  _destroying_  the Guardians of the Galaxy.

After leading their entire fleet into destruction and using all of The Sovereign’s combatant resources, the Council were prepared to reprimand the High Priestess with little bounds. She could sense their fury, imagine their wrath. So she devised a plan for her creation, for His creation. She thought that once they saw what she had started to build, surely their wrath would dissipate. She proposed perfection to them, and as expected they eased in anger and grew in admiration at her ambition. What little funding they had left was poured into supplying the birthing pod with suitable resources. There were cut backs across the land, but (as much as it stings her) seeing less decorations in homes and buildings with a few less jewels is a small price to pay for the ultimate outcome. The Guardians had not only insulted her, but everyone on the planet. Pride is a fragile thing and allowing such clumsy wretches onto their land was sure to damage it.

But the cut backs became more severe. The Sovereign was left unguarded and unarmed due to the lack of ships to defend themselves. In her heart, Ayesha should have known that anyone in their right mind would see the superiority of their planet and if it was unguarded, prepare to invade them.

There were many attacks, space pirates and scum of the universe dirtying their home with their greed for the golden relics embellished throughout the planet. Defensless and unarmed, many fell at their hand and many relics were stolen. The Sovereign were not trained for combat, fighting being such a gruesome act that only self-depreciating savages take part in. Resources became scarce, her people lost faith in her, the Council went against her and her title of High Priestess was snatched out of her hands. But all was not lost, faith in her creation kept high moral throughout the land and they had just enough resources to get by. 

That was until the snap happened.

The four years between the Guardian’s crime and the snap were gruelling enough. But Ayesha had never seen such a thing when people started... fading is the only way she can describe it. The Sovereign span into chaos. Many wailed at the sight of family members departing. But what stung most, what was and still is one of the greatest insults ever suffered is the fact that millions of the Sovereign species, the highest of all species, were removed as though they were nothing. The Sovereign people know their worth and to them, using what they had experienced in the past and seeing something as detrimental as this _had_ _to_ have something to do with those Guardians.

Three years after the snap, all funding was pulled from His creation. Naturally, Ayesha threw fury at the Council, reminding them that this was the key to their rebirth, to regaining their rightful status in the galaxy. But she was no longer the High Priestess so her words were futile, the need to put units into resources for civilians now the most important act. And she knows the importance of maintaining the valuable existence of the Sovereign. But this... would excel their existence more than anything. 

So she did what she had to do.

She selected her most trusted chambermaid and in secret, they would singlehandedly continue His creation. But for that, with no funding and no support, they needed incredible power to maintain it. And the most powerful relic of The Sovereign still remained in a location she knew. 

Eons ago, their ancestors came across a gem. A stone vibrant in colour and radiating such an aura that could bring one to their knees. They possessed the power of the soul stone, The High Priest at the time using it to infuse superiority and power into the planet’s core. But then, in the tale Ayesha clearly remembers from her childhood, the High Priest was overcome by the stone’s power. Onlookers state that it was as though the stone was attempting to steal his soul, or taint it. And with such a threat, with such an insult of attempting to change the superior Priest of The Sovereign, the stone was cast out. Launched into the void to a planet no one knows where. There are tales it was later found and and myths that a map was created, but no being in their right mind should seek such a thing. The stone was cast out but part of it’s power still remains in the depths of this planet. And Ayesha knew that if she were to create what she intended, that power was the only source that could fulfil it.

She took the power from the depths of the planet, doing so in secret as such an act is the _highest_  form of heresy, this being their most valuable possession. It had been kept for any threat or situation that would need great power. But Ayesha took it and used it. Transferred it into Him because surely, this would lead to perfection. 

And now, as she walks down the halls of her quarters at night, two years later from the day she took the power, everything leading to this very moment of when He was ready, she feels an emotion like no other. 

As her chambermaid leads her to the birthing pod, she doesn’t hesitate to enter. The pod glows with a colour richer than gold, it throbs with intensity and shimmers with force. Ayesha approaches it with no fear, she gets close to it as the chambermaid gasps.

“My Lady, how shall we proceed?”

The question glides through Ayesha’s mind and she stares up at the pod. It’s glow casting a glittering swirl in her eyes, as though she were in a trance. As though she were staring at the most beautiful sight in the universe. As though her soul had just been renewed with the presence of complete and utter perfection.

“It’s has been accomplished.” She whispers, forcing herself to break her gaze as she points to the lever that opens the pod.

“After nine years, my purpose has been fulfilled.”

She looks back up at the pod, eyes now glinting with tears, the first smile for years gracing her lips.

 

“Adam is ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayesha is so fun to write because she’s so dramatic eheh.  
> Title song is ‘Him’ by Rupert Holmes (aka the pina colada guy), 1979 and is totally something Quill would sing along to. Speaking of Quill, the next chapter is up!


	16. Where Can My Baby Be? Lord, Where Can She Be?

Peter feels like he’s floating.

The bed feels weightless. The sheets are soft yet intangible. The mattress firm but he feels as though he could fall through it. His surroundings are familiar, the furniture and objects in his room dimly lit by a warm light. Turning, he pulls bright white sheets with him as the pillow bounces underneath his head. He yawns but doesn’t feel tired and as he exhales he leans into the warmth to his left, her hair tickling his nose, his eyes focusing on her and there she was.

Gamora has her leg flopped over his, her arm laying across his waist just as his arm lays across hers. She’s so warm that his skin almost feels feverish, but he doesn’t pull away, if anything he pulls closer. It seems Gamora also isn’t tired, he looks over her face and sees her open eyes. They’re bright in the low light but reflect a thought she’s having that makes Peter frown.

“What are you thinking about?”

Gamora looks at him, her features defining serenity but the disruption of a crease in her brow warns concern. Her eyes dart over his face, she smiles briefly before returning to her subtle worry.

“Things that you have said.”

Peter’s eyes widen slightly as he inhales deeply.

“Oh man, I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”

Her smile returns, this time showing slight amusement but still hinting at something else.

“I’m thinking about one thing you said in particular.”

“Should I get a head start running? Because it looks like you’re about to-“

“Would you ever leave me, Peter?”

He stops, almost flinching at the words, her eyes intense on his as he feels himself frown.

“...What? Of course not. I told you I would never...” His voice trails off as he switches his frown of confusion to one of concern. “Why would you say that?”

Gamora’s expression changes. Suddenly he feels cold.

“Then why did you let me go?”

He stops breathing when the question hits, staring at her for a moment as a spark of pain runs down his spine. The only thing he can do is shake his head, unable to speak when suddenly the warmth he felt vanishes and she feels like ice between his arms. He tries to pull away but he can’t. He tries to look away from her eyes but he can’t.

“...Gamora-“

“If Thanos gets me.”

“Gamora.”

“I want you to promise me...”

“Stop.”

“You’ll kill me.”

Her words come out as though prerecorded, lips barely moving as she speaks. She remains staring at him in a way that instinctively should make him want to comfort her, but instead he wants to run away. 

“I could never do that.”

“But you almost did.  _You_ _promised.”_

Her voice breaks in the two last words, the traces of a sob forcing them out in a way that slaps his face. He fights to pull his arms away from her, her skin turning cold and brightness leaving her eyes.

As he tugs himself away, everything around him plunges into darkness. He can’t see anything and the silence around him is frightening until the sound of a deep and booming distinctive voice makes him jump as it echos in the air.

‘ _I_ _like_ _him.’_

Light returns around him and this time it’s bright, the surroundings of his room replaced with nothing but grey. He can feel his heartbeat like punches in his chest, scrambling to stand as the bed disappears from under him. Trying to catch his breath, he senses something behind him, turning to look with hesitance but eyes immediately landing on what’s there. 

Gamora lies on the ground sprawled outand still. She is turned away from him, hair masking part of her face but her hand is extended out towards him. And he’s not hesitant to admit that it’s the most frightening thing he’s seen in his life. He runs to get to her and although it looks like she’s footsteps away it takes every ounce of his strength to make it there. When he does he drops to his knees and goes to touch her but he can’t. His hand reaches out to hold hers but it’s like there’s a wall stopping him. He slams his fist against it as he calls her name, shouting and kicking at it until something he notices makes his insides turn to acid. She’s not dead. She’s dying. Finally, she turns her head to look at him and the fuzzy haze of her red hair moves to reveal her face. She looks at him and he watches her lips move as she speaks, but isunable to hear what she’s saying. 

He can still save her. There’s still time. If he can make it through this wall then he can get her and everything will be okay. So he fights and pounds and does everything he can to get through. His heart tells him he’s getting closer until the hand she’s outstretched to him flops down. Blood appears out of nowhere around her and he watches her eyes close.

“No... No no no- no!”

He hits at the wall even though it’s pointless now. And he keeps hitting at it even though there’s nothing he can do. He feels of everything inside him die and simultaneously burst with anger as he can only shout one thing.

“What did he do to you?! What did he do to you...? What.. did...”

“Peter.”

The voice behind him stops him in his sobs, the recognition like a knife plunged into his gut.

“How many more of us are you going to lose?”

The accent stings as he turns to see his mother’s eyes. He stares up at her, handstrembling as she looks down at him saying words that only make the excruciation worse.

“I love you more than anything.” His mother says it in her warm Missourian accent and he can’t speak, throat closing as he reaches up for her. Then Gamora’s voice repeat the same words, making him turn back quickly to look at her but only seeing her lifeless body making him want to heave.

“Take my hand, Peter.” His mother’s voice hits him again.

“Take my hand, Peter.” Gamora echoes the words and he feels his body go heavy.

“Stop!” He pleads.

But then a tumult of voices and words and whispers erupt around him as he crouches down, covering his ears and yelling back at them to stop as it only grows louder, almost to the point of being deafening as voices overlap, though somehow he can hear each one.

 

 _You promised- I know something he doesn’t- Why have you been fighting with the other boys, baby- If Thanos gets me- Not him, Peter- I love you more than- Take my hand, Peter- Some unspoken th- He may have been your father boy but he wasn’t - I told you to go right- She’s asked hasn’t she- Promise me you’ll kill me- I love you- My little Starlord- Why does somebody always have to die in this scenario- Where is Gamora- go right- I had to- Not him, Peter- I love you too- Promise me_ -  **“Quill?!”**   _Thanos gets me- Where is-_ **“Quill!!”**   _Than anything- You promis_ \- **“** **QUILL!”**

 

There’s a strike against his face, a stinging shock as the weight of something moves on his chest. Peter’s eyes open to slight darkness and before sense returns to his mind he feels his chest rise and fall rapidly, his eyes a blur and he makes out the outline of Rocket standing over him. It takes him a few seconds to wake up completely before he quickly sits up, t-shirt absolutely saturated with sweat, throat stinging and raw. He pants as he senses Drax come up next to him, laying a hand on his back and barking words at Groot that has something to do with water. Everything’s still muffled in his ears as he hears the blur of Rocket’s voice, his paws flying in every direction as he seems to be rambling at Quill. For a moment, Peter feels like he’s lost his mind as pins and needles run through his body, seeing Mantis’ glowing antennae through unfocused vision before Groot sprints back into the room, spilling half a glass of water over Peter’s legs as he goes to hand it to him. Peter flinches at the cold liquid as Rocket turns his ranting to Groot.

“Dammit, Groot, you think drowning him is gonna help?!”

“I am Groot!”

Groot shouts back at Rocket before gently holding the cup up to Peter who snatches it out of his hand anyway, not meaning to be abrupt but feeling like the water is his lifeline. He takes a sip but it tastes bitter in his mouth, cup being jerked in his hand as Drax attempts to rub Peter calmingly across his back but probably unintentionally giving his bruises instead. Peter clumsily puts the cup down on the floor, the coldness of the glass doing little to subdue how hot he feels as Rocket’s words finally register in his ears.

“You got yourself together yet or are you gonna accidentally wham me in the face again?” He yells out, the highlights of his fur becoming clearer as Peter’s eyes adjust to the lighting.

“I’m sorry.” Peter says back, throat sore as he tries to project his raspy voice. “It’s just a- Don’t worry about it, it was just a-“

“Yeah we know what it was and it wasn’t _just_  a nightmare, it’s the fourth nightmare this week!” Rocket shouts. Groot snaps something at him until Peter snaps back at him himself.

“God, would you shut up for a second and let me catch my breath?!” Peter throws the covers off him and hunches over to put his head in his hands. “Drax- Please, I’m fine.” He now snaps at Drax who immediately removes his hand and stops trying to calm him, standing to pick the glass up off the floor and place it carefully on the bedside table. There’s silence as they let Peter take a moment, Rocket still standing on his bed as Groot and Mantis watch, unsure of what to do. After a moment Rocket plonks himself into a sit and clears his throat before changing his tone. Slightly.

“What you apologising for? You don’t need to apologise, alright? Just...”

There’s movement at the door and everyone looks up except Peter who is only just getting closer to recovering. Nebula hesitantly looks into the room, not stepping through the door to enter but leaning against the frame.

“Is... everything okay in here?” She mumbles the words as though her volume would be too intrusive.

Peter expects Rocket to be sarcastic and say that clearly everything is not okay but instead he merely sighs.

“No, but we’ll get him sorted.” Rocket turns back to look at Quill and Nebula lingers for a moment before gently closing the door. Silence fills the room again as Peter steadies himself.

“I’m sor- I didn’t mean to wake you all up again. I’m fine, I’m good, I’ll just...” He trails off, not sure of what he should do as Drax’s voice abolishes any quietness.

“You are not fine. You should not care about waking us, not when you are suffering.”

Peter looks up at him, using nonexistent energy to frown. 

“I’m not... suffering.”

“Oh come on, Quill.” Rocket cuts in. “We gotta talk about this because I can’t take this anymore.”

Mantis sighs before coming to sit on the edge of the bed as Groot mimics. Peter feels like a spotlight has just been put on him while he’s sitting here with hair like a birds nest and a sweat soaked t-shirt. Immediately, he becomes defensive.

“Oh, sorry to burden you, Rocket. You think I can take this shit? Why don’t you just go back to your room where you don’t have to deal with this.”

Rocket’s hard expression remains unchanging. “I’m not going anywhere, Peter.”

You know that ‘oh shit’ moment when you’re mom or something calls you by your full name and you know you’re in deep trouble? That is absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing compared to when Rocket calls Peter by his first name, which by the way has never happened before and Peter’s unsure of whether he should be concerned, run away or call Rocket out for being a skrull. It looks like even Rocket flinched at the name, looking almost surprised for a second before returing to his infamous frown. Instead of all those options Peter decides that for once Rocket is being dead serious with him. And if Rocket dared to be serious, the absolute least he could do was stop and listen.

He sits up properly, instinctively pulling the covers back over his legs although he has no plans to go back to sleep now. The team make a makeshift huddle and suddenly the spotlight doesn’t seem so bad.

“You’re messed up, man. Like, really messed up. Real bad.” Rocket feels one of Groot’s branches jab him from behind before revising his approach. “I mean, you haven’t been taking care of yourself. You haven’t eaten properly in days.”

“I’m just not hungry.” Peter retorts quickly, knowing how blunt he sounds but not knowing what else to say right now.

“I highly doubt that. You never used to stop eating, Quill.” Once again Drax unintentionally bruises Peter but it’s his pride this time. He sighs.

There’s more silence, one that extends for what feels like a long time but is only seconds. Rocket breaks it.

“Well, the bright side is you lost all the weight you put on.”

“Rocket!” Mantis shouts, her tone uncharacteristic as she senses Peter’s reaction.

“What? I’m not good at this shit, okay? I don’t know what to say.”

“Because there’s nothing to say. Is there?” Peter’s voice trembles with irritation, the rising warning of tears grating his throat.

“Is there?!” His voice bounces off the walls and strikes everyone who hears it. He senses himself getting angry which he feels he shouldn’t be but he can’t get it to stop.

“Thor’s gone so I guess all the fun went with him and I’m- I’m not feeling very fun lately...” He stops, looking down and swallowing his tears away before aiming Rocket a look. “You know, sometimes you can be a real asshole.”

“Yeah, I know I am.” Rocket aims a similar expression. “You think I give a shit about fun? I give a shit about you, you idiot... and I don’t know where you’ve gone! Yeah, I can be a real asshole but if you spoke to me about what’s going on in here.” He aggressively points to the side of his head with his paw. “I wouldn’t be.”

Peter pauses, feeling exposed. Honestly, that’s hypocritical coming from Rocket since it’s more difficult to get him to open up than to save the galaxy. But Peter knows what he’s saying is true.

“What is there to say? You know what happened. I’m sure you can put together ‘what’s going on in here’.” He mocks Rocket’s gesture and points to his head.  “And I don’t know what to do.”

There’s a long pause. Peter thinks about how Mantis’ emotions would be going crazy with just one of them in the room let alone the five of them.

“Well first you can start with getting some sleep.” Rocket states.

Peter looks at him blankly before the raccoon rolls his eyes.

“Lie down.”

Peter hesitates but does what he’s told as he starts to lower himself on the bed. He’s about to pull the covers up before noticing Drax rummaging through his draws and pulling out a t-shirt similar to the one he’s wearing. Peter takes it slowly and knows his brain must be disintegrating because he stares at it as though unsure what to do with it.

“Come on, put it on. I ain’t sleeping next to a sweat-bag.” 

Rocket says the order and again Peter reacts immediately. He pulls the wet t-shirt over his head, throwing it across the room into his dirty laundry pile and puts on the clean one. Returning to lie down, he adjusts his pillow and he shuffles himself over to the middle of it.

“Groot, mind getting the Zune?”

Following Rocket’s pointed paw, the teenager picks up the silver device before detaching the earphones and climbing back onto the bed. Peter feels the bed tilt with Drax’s weight next to him as the man sits up against the headboard. To his other side Rocket walks in a circle a couple of times before settling down on the covers in a sort of ball, when Peter raises slightly to look at him, he abruptly nods his head as though telling him to lie the hell down.

Mantis steals the other pillow before lying across the bed, using Peter’s legs to place her pillow before resting her head there and Groot flops down next to her. Drax goes to turn out the light on the bedside table, accidentally knocking over the glass he’d put up there and Peter wonders if he just heard Drax swear for the first time or whether he’s hearing things from fatigue. Either way, he settles down and exhales, there now being warmth around him from every angle. 

Sleeping has felt extremely lonely since... since Gamora... you know. And he knows Drax and Rocket aren’t ones for sleepovers (even though he, Groot and Mantis loved the idea) but they seem to make to sacrifice tonight. Music starts playing, a slow song that Peter hopes won’t make him sad but instead it helps him fall asleep. And just as he drifts off, he urges his brain to take in this moment because he truly would fall apart if he wasn’t squished up in this bed held together by his family. There’s a quick pang off guilt for Nebula being left out, though it was unlikely she would have joined anyway. And his last second of consciousness is filled with the thought that somehow the overcrowded bed still feels like it’s missing someone. 

Because it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PAIN. That’s it.
> 
> Also I know I’ve left Thor out again, as much as I adore him I’ve never written him before and seeing as I’m already drowning in character analysis of Adam, Ayesha and Nebula (all of whom I’ve never written before until this fic) I decided to leave him to imagination before I get frustrated about not writing him correctly (perfectionist alert).  
> The title song is ‘Pain in My Heart’ by Helene Smith, 1967, which I LOVE, listen to the lyrics and think of starmora if you wanna cry :)  
> Anyway, do you see that blinding shimmer of gold? That’s Adam waiting to be introduced in the next chapter (yay!)... god I’m so corny.  
> It’ll be up very soon.


	17. Have The Faith I Have in You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so before you read this chapter I suggest quickly looking at a picture of Adam Warlock since his look from the comics will help with what I’m hinting at at the end of this chapter. Anyway! Here’s my shot at writing Adam, I’m sure you’ll find him perfect ;)

Whenever Adam opens his eyes he never really feels like he’s waking up.

When he is set to sleep, he never really feels like he’s resting or dreaming. More existing, floating or just feeling. Constantly feeling. He senses things. One thing in particular within a person. He is not sure what it is exactly, but he is aware of it in everyone he encounters. And he can see it, literally. He can see golden sparks and spirals surrounding an individual, a glow throughout their body telling him of their nature.

Since Adam’s birth he has not changed. He has not matured in appearance, his hair has not grown nor has his height increased or his literacy improved. He was designed in a way that would not need altering, only teaching. 

This morning, he opens his eyes to the interior of the containment he sleeps in, his surroundings dim until he pushes it open. He takes a moment to feel the rhythmic motion of his breathing, each inhale taken at the required intervals. Sometimes he notices things like that, how the steadiness of his breathing is constant or how his heart rate never changes tempo regardless of the situation and how he even blinks in a specific pattern. When he contemplates why this is so, he is always told the same thing. That perfectionist has no fault, even in anatomy.

When he steps down from his containment the movement makes the long golden fibres of his hair sway in his vision. He stands, straightening himself, fixing every out of place strand neatly, smoothing his clothing and waits imposingly until he hears the footsteps from a distance above him and follows them until he hears them descend down the staircase to where he is kept.

Ayesha enters through a large doorway, behind her a maid follows holding a stack of thick books. When she looks at him, her eyes stay on him and she smiles. Naturally, he smiles back and when he scrutinises the curve of her lips, he senses the pride she feels from with in.

“Good morning, Adam.”

“Good morning, High Priestess.”

Her smile flashes wider at the name, clearly still reeling from her restored status as a result of Adam’s coming. She quickly gestures at the maid to set the books down on a nearby table before dismissing her and comes to stand in front of him. Her eyes trace every part of his stature, blazing with admiration until she notices a crease on the sleeve of his garment.

“The Council are eager to hear how you have advanced. In your knowledge, that is.” As she speaks she smooths out the crease, gliding her fingers against the maroon fabric and pinching at the golden trim. He watches her, having to look down as he is many feet taller and makes an effort to match her enthusiasm.

“I am eager to present what I have learned. All of the knowledge you have taught me.”

She turns and steps away, dress flowing behind her in ripples. Her slender fingers point to the books.

“We must go over the Sovereign history once more.” 

“I remember every word of all of those books.” He says, yet he still walks over, footsteps light yet powerful as he approaches. 

She turns quickly to face him. “I know. Your supreme intelligence also includes heightened memory.” She says the words as though he were a product she was advertising. Perhaps that’s what he is, he thinks, seeing as that is what she has been doing to the Council for the past month. Her expression hardens as she continues. “Still, I would like you to read it once more... a mistake could set us back and your time is drawing nearer... That being said... I want you to recite your words.”

Adam drops his eye contact and enhances his perfect posture to stand taller. As if a triggered, the words appear in his mind immediately. He nods and inhales to speak before Ayesha interrupts.

“-Just a moment.” She holds up a palm, pausing him as she goes to pull over a nearby chair. She places it in front of him and tuck her dress carefully under legs before sitting down. She sits up straight, posture positioned in an aspirational manner to match his and she looks up at him vibrantly.

“Proceed.”

Adam inhales again. His voice is as smooth as his skin.

“The Sovereign species and planet alike are superior within the unspoken hierarchy of the universe. Any and all who dare to disrespect our honour will be reprimanded. The Guardians of the Galaxy are to be reprimanded. It is their destiny to feel the Sovereign’s wrath. Perfection destroys inferiority. Therefore, it is my objective to destroy them. Only when they are obliterated will the universe know justice. Only when the galaxy is free from their defiance will the Sovereign regain pride. Their destiny is their fate, and their fate is in my hands.”

He finishes and returns his eyes to her. She sits there with her eyes closed, relishing in the words and when she opens them what Adam sees within them makes his head ache slightly. He has noticed that happen whenever he senses hate within that specific part he senses in a person. Ayesha gives him a smile, how proud she is reflecting in her expression and her awe of him glinting in her eyes.

“Perfect.” She stands. “You would feel prepared if that day were to come soon?”

“Yes.”

“You would be prepared to travel to the ends of the galaxy to fulfil my passion-  _your_  passion, for me?”

“Yes.”

Ayesha pauses, her thoughts difficult to read but the atmosphere lights up in his eyes. He senses her heart beat raise and can see golden spirals of emotion ignite in her chest.

“I want you to find them tomorrow.”

Adam remains still, he takes in her words.

“I want you to find them. I want you to hunt them down and I want you to kill them.”

The lasts two words set off a spark in his body that he cannot control, he ignores it as she continues.

“Recite their description.”

“Five beings, a variation of species. Four males, one female. Peter Quill, Gamora Zen-Whoberi, Drax the Destroyer, a creature of unknown species and a Flora Colossus.“

“Vessel.”

“A singular M-class ship. Distinctive by its blue and orange exterior.

Ayesha’s mouth twitches, a quick wild smile.

“Their crimes against the Sovereign?”

“Theft, betrayal, idiocy.”

She steps close to him, looking up at him with appreciation in her eyes and lays a hand on his chest. “You are ready, Adam. I have undying confidence in you as does the Council and our people. Soon you will accomplish your purpose. Soon you will revive our honour and cleanse us of our stains of hatred.”

He blinks at her quickly. So quickly it looks like a flinch. Suddenly, her brows snap together as though alarmed by this, as though concerned at the sharp moment due to its rarity.

“Something bothers you?”

Adam refrains from blinking, maintaining eye contact.

“I desire knowledge, High Priestess.”

She twitches a frown. 

“I reassure you, your knowledge is profound. You have learned all of what I aimed to have taught you quicker than I could have imagined.” She points to the books again. He follows his white eyes to them. Adam remains still as he continues.

“I desire knowledge of my origins.”

Ayesha’s express changes and he contemplates withdrawing. But he can’t suppress the rising wonder any longer.

“I know my design is of quality, but I feel as though part of me is absent. As though I am not all of what I am.” He speaks directly and clearly yet Ayesha seems to dismiss his words.

“You have no concern for feelings like that.” She looks at him carefully. “Must I keep reminding you of your excellence? You lack nothing. Your origins are not your concern.” She suddenly becomes flustered, stepping away slowly as her dress leaves a trail of mystery behind her. He has sensed her hiding something about his origins since the day he first asked. “Read what I have given you and remember the words I have told you.” 

She goes to the door and is about to leave before turning back quickly. Although still appearing unnerved, she gives him a look of admiration before disappearing.

When he hears the sound of her foot steps fade away, Adam goes to pick up the books and flicks through them. In a matter of minutes he finishes reading all of them and places them back neatly. He thinks about his words and goes over the Guardians’ description again. And while he sits there and waits for Ayesha to return, he unconsciously lifts his fingers to his forehead, smoothing them lightly against the space between his eyebrows.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm I wonder what’s so special about that particular spot on Adam’s forehead... I better stop, one day I swear I’m going to spoil my own story.  
> Title song in ‘Trust in Me’ by the legendary Etta James, 1960.  
> Back with the Guardians in the next chapter! 
> 
> \+ Comments really help me out about how you guys are reacting to the story, I hope it’s not too slow right now while I’m trying to paint a picture of Adam’s personality (hopefully he’s coming through enough for you guys). Enough of me being insecure about my work, comment whenever/if you feel like it as we go along. Get ready for some angst :’) just editing the next chapter and it will be up today


	18. I Can’t Go On Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, this is a bit of a long one.

“Who you texting, Groot?”

Rocket looks over at the slender tree, frowning as usual while Groot doesn’t even bother to spare him a glance, branched fingers tapping rapidly at his console.

“I am Groot.”

“Oh, well  _excuse_ _me._ Who are you gaming with?”

“I am Groot.”

“...Thor? How‘d you two get-“

“I am Groot!” Groot sits up suddenly as he jabs at the controls, now having a frown of his own face as Rocket hears him curse under his breath.

“Noobmaster- what? What kinda weirdos are you talking to on ther-“

Quill tumbles into the communal area withlittle to no grace, tripping over a step that has always been there and doesn’t bother to mumble his curses like Groot, the swear coming out loud enough to draw Groot’s attention away from his fortnite battle. Rocket follows Peter’s eyes as he navigates his way grudgingly around the table in the centre of the room but still manages to catch his foot on one of the chairs. Though swearing is very much a part of Rocket’s vocabulary, it’s not really apart of Quill’s, not as often anyway, and now even Rocket wishes it were censored.

“When are you going to shave? You‘re startin’ to grow more facial hair than me.” According to Rocket, that’s a casual way to distract your friend from cursing and a convenient way to tell them they’re letting themselves go in the process.

“Where are the others?” Peter asks, expression bare as he fiddles with something harshly in his hands before tossing it down and clicking at the controls of a hologram panel. When Rocket sees what he’s trying to bring up his stomach twists. 

“In the kitchen. I think Drax is tryna cook breakfast, Nebula and bug lady are mostly there to make sure he doesn’t blow up the whole ship.”

When it seems as though Peter didn’t even hear his answer, Rocket hesitates before looking him over properly. He got some sleep last night, seeing as apparently that’s also now a group activity, but he still looks like shit. His t-shirts that were once starting to get a little tight now hang loose on his frame and not that Rocket’s scrutinising it or anything, but that beard he’s started growing really doesn’t look right on him.

“You’re the only one with a razor on this ship, maybe you should use it? Just saying because-“

“Do you have the keys?” Peter fumbles slowly through his pockets and searches through scattered trash on the table. Rocket’s frown eases then reappears slowly as he looks at him.

“They’re... you’re holding them, Star-Munch...”

He tries to say the name, usually used primarily for mockery, without sounding like an ass because for once that doesn’t seem appropriate. Peter stops searching and looks down at his left hand, taking a moment to stare at the silver object before rubbing his eyes with his other hand and turning back to the hologram panel.

“Need ‘em to get this going.” He says quietly, jamming the key into the little hole and watching the pixels fizzle to life.

Groot had long stopped playing his console, now sitting still as he watches Peter and sensing the atmosphere as much as Rocket is. They both glance at each other. The twinge of sadness in Groot’s eyes motivates Rocket enough to try again to knock on that wall Peter’s put up.

“Hey... uh, Qu-“

“Breakfast is ready. If you can even call it that.” 

Nebula appears out of nowhere as she makes a storming entrance into the room, arms folded and expression disgusted as Mantis bounces in behind her. Peter turns around as Nebula clomps into her chair and just catches sight of Drax balancing a few plates before turning back to the hologram. It always takes a few minutes to load. Seconds, really. But they feel like hours. The fuzzy picture comes up with a galactic logo that Peter has seen a thousand times before fading out and lighting up again with an image that makes his heart jump. Everything goes muffled in his ears as he hears Groot complain about the food and he stares up at the picture of Gamora’s face in a way that must make him look like he’s in a trance. He allows himself a few seconds to look over her, yesterday he focused on her eyes, today he traces the outline of her hair before stealing his eyes away to look the tiny red writing lined across the bottom of her image. 

_‘Being not found. Search in progress...’_

If he could feel anything, he’s sure he would feel himself deflate at the sign of no progress, even though he’s read those words over and over multiple times a day. He drops his eyes from the hologram and realises he’s standing too close, his eyelids burning as he squeezes them shut and turns slightly too quickly to face the dining table. 

Peter is well aware that he is a mess. He is also very aware of how his team has noticed how much of a mess he is. The beard might as well be the words ‘not doing great’ written on his face and even he can hear that his voice is low and decidedly not fuelled by his usual giddiness. But what he’s aware of most is how quiet it is around the ship nowadays. And he knows that he’s the reason why and  _that_ is one of the things that freaks him out the most because in every situation ever in the history of Peter Quill’s life, when something goes wrong and he feels all bad inside, he either sticks in his headphones and plays music so loud he should probably be deaf or plays the same song out loud on repeat so that his teammates can listen (or if you’re Drax, complain) with him. 

And the since day they left that chaotic battle on Terra, the amount of music heard became less and less as the realisation of things set into his bones and when Thor left it completely stopped. Peter’s not really a self-reflective guy but the fact that his body and mind is so numb and fuzzy and clouded makes him understand how he reacts when something truly awful happens. Like, you know, when your girlfriend of five years dies then comes back but didn’t actually come back and at one point kicked you in the nuts then supposedly ran off and the damn hologram thingie won’t do its damn job of finding her while you spiral into an emotionally comatose state and see your family look at you in a way they never have before and the only thing you can see when you look at them is how one person is missing.

See? Totally not a self-reflective guy.

With all those thoughts taking up just a millisecond in his mind, he walks over to the table and takes his seat in between Mantis and Drax and tunes his ears back into the conversation taking place.

“-I don’t care how much effort you put into it. I am sure my cybernetics would disintegrate if dared to eat one thing on this plate.” Nebula huffs at Drax before pushing her plate away and giving Rocket a pointed look as he shoves food into his mouth. Rocket catches her glare.

“Phwat? Food is food.” He says with his mouth full as Groot joins in on the glaring.

Peter looks down at his own plate for a while and then remembers he needs to pick up his fork to eat. When he does, he pokes the food on his plate trying to actually figure out what the hell it is. Drax seems to notice this and Peter can see him sit up straighter from the corner of his eye.

“Ah, as you can see, Quill, in my effort to make up for the turmoil of your night terrors I have prepared one of your favourite Terran dishes with galactic substitutes.”

Peter looks at Drax through the blur of long words he just said and looks back at his plate. Drax senses the ‘...’ in Peter’s brain.

“Bacon and eggs.” He announces. Peter finally feels an expression strike his face as he scans the plate.

“Oh, thanks buddy.” He takes a mouthful of the eggs and stops abruptly as his head shatters when he bites down. He grimaces, pulls out an eggshell and when he sees the pink colour of the shell, remembers he’s not really sure what Drax meant by ‘galactic substitute’.

“Blame Mantis for the eggshells. She insisted on cracking them herself since it’s ‘the funnest part’.” Drax says defensively and Mantis smiles as though not realising that the extra crunch isn’t really ideal. Nebula shakes her head as Peter moves onto inspect the other item on his plate.

“...When you say substitute... where did you get the ‘bacon’ from?”

“Ha,” Rocket barks. “You sure you wanna know that?”

Peter puts his fork down and sees that as enough justification to not eat this morning, not that he was hungry anyway. He thinks he sees a flash of disappointment on Drax’s face and is about to say something, then realises that it was actually Drax trying to contemplate picking up Quill’s plate and eating it himself. Which he did with little hesitation.

Peter sighs as he reaches for the coffee pot (at least the space version of coffee which doesn’t taste too bad) and pours himself a cup. He sips it slowly and remains silent as the others attempt to make conversation around him. 

The caffeine does little to make him feel alert until a sudden load sound almost makes him hit the ceiling. Naturally, he jolts and spills some hot coffee onto his hand while Rocket’s ears flick up at the alarming sound.

“Son of a-“

“What the hell is that?!” Rocket yells, ears sticking up as Peter’s eyes look around rapidly for what the hell that actually is.

And when he realises, he drops the mug from his hand lets it break across the table.

He’s standing before he tells his legs to move and walks over to the hologram so fast that he almost trips. His heart feels like a burning lump of lava in his chest as it beats.

“Oh my God, it’s the...” He says quietly, then picks up more volume as adrenaline sparks. “The- the search, it must have found her.”

“Well hurry up and bring up the location!” The words fly out of Rocket as they all huddle around the hologram, even Nebula who stands back slightly but has her eyes fixated on the screen.

“I am Groot!!” (“Finally!!”) Groot exclaims as Peter raises his hand to open the notification and stop the alarm going off. His throat goes dry as he clicks on it and he’s sure his legs just wobbled. This is it, he thinks. He’s finally found her and he doesn’t care what kind of crazy journey he has to go on to get to her, he’s gonna boot up the controls and fly this ship across the whole galaxy if he has too. He’s gonna turn on a kickass song to get them where they need to be and maybe he should shave-

_‘Search inconclusive. Unable to pinpoint location. Being does not exist.’_

He stares at the words for a moment. Peter reads the pixilated red letters over and completely stops any and all internal functions as he stops breathing. He reads them again and hears Rocket curse something from beneath him. He reads them again and hears Nebula storm out of the room. He reads them once more and darts his eyes over the screen for anything,  _any_ other type of information but only sees the  _‘Try new search’_   tab at the bottom of the screen. 

Closing his eyes quickly, he flinches as a stab of pain jolts through his head and brings a hand up to his chest as he feels his heart beating way too fast. He stands there like that for a while then suddenly gasps as he feels like he’s been plunged into ice water, taking in a huge breath he’s been holding as his head goes light.

“You okay, Quill...?” Rocket says sombrely, his voice sounding different as though it wasn’t Rocket at all.

Peter hears him but can’t speak as he turns around. He looks down in the direction of Rocket but his eyes are blurred as everything starts tilting the right. Drax catches him from the side and holds him back upright, saying something to him before guiding him over to a chair. Peter sits in it and suddenly feels really hot and wonders whether he’s totally lost control over his body as his head pains again.

“Quill.” One of them says in front of him, he’s not sure who as he feels his head sway.

“Quill!” They try again, he thinks it’s Drax until someone claps in front of his face.

“Quill, c’mon man, you’re freaking me out.” Peter registers his eyes on Rocket and blinks at him before seeing Groot’s terrified and distraught expression which brings him back to his senses. He still can’t speak as Mantis’ voice radiates from behind him. 

“Maybe the device is wrong! Maybe there’s another way we can find her.” The optimism in her voice is forced but Drax latches onto this.

“Mantis is right. We can try other options, maybe if we-“

“It said she didn’t exist.” Peter manages, his voice low and sounding rough as though he’d been screaming for hours. Everyone stops. Drax insists.

“I am sure that is a standard message after an inconclusive search. It cannot literally mean-“

“It’s right. It can’t find her because she’s not there. The Gamora we’re searching for died in Stark’s snap and mine is still dead from-“ He stops himself, head hurting again, his voice cracks terribly as he continues. “...She doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Don’t flarkin say that!” Rocket’s voice sounds more like his now. “Of course she exists- that thing is full of bullshit-“

“She’s not there, Rocket.”

“Bullshit.”

“I can’t do this.” 

Peter goes to stand up and fails. He tries to get himself together and when that fails to he slams a fist into the table which makes Mantis jump. The silence that fills the room is choking, only Groot’s sniffs can be heard. 

Mantis speaks up.

“But... that was a search for past Gamora?”

“Yes.” Drax states bluntly, as though her question were futile. Mantis seems alerted by this, however.

“It gives the option for a new search, perhaps we should search for our Gamora.”

There’s more silence as her words linger, Quill looks up.

“...It’s the same person.”

“No.” Rocket piped up. “No, actually isn’t it like- her from another universe or timeline or some weird shit like that? That counts as another person, right? Different memories and all? Or at least, that picture we used was taken of her from years ago, Gamora was basically a different person back then.”

Peter looks around at him, easing up off the table, eyes intense.

“You think we should do another search?” He drifts his eyes back to the hologram.

“It’s worth a try.” Drax says. “This time we use a more recent photograph of Gamora as opposed to the one used before.”

Peter stops to consider this. They had used an old photo of Gamora from 2014, one that was photographed by the Nova Corps after their work on Xandar that got used for some ID card thing they gave them. At the time of uploading, Peter thought this would be best because it was Gamora from 2014 they were looking for but if she’s from another timeline or... died in the second snap then maybe that why it couldn’t find her.

Without a second thought Peter stands up and stumbles out of the room to his bedroom. He goes over to his bedside table and yanks open the draw then slows as he pulls out a frame. It’s a picture of Gamora from about a few months before life went to shit. Specifically, it’s a pretty blurry out of focus picture he took one time when they were on this weird little planet which had a beautiful sky that matched her skin tone. So he pulled out this knock off camera device he’d found and took the picture when she wasn’t looking because she would most likely have not approved if she saw him. He loved it from the moment he took it and got it framed, much to Gamora’s frown when she saw it but he kept it there all the time... until the sight of it only made him sad. 

Now though, he holds it in his hands and says a little apology internally, he’s not sure if he’s saying it to her or himself, but he grips it tight as he re-emerges into the communal area with it.

He walks over to the hologram and clicks the new search tab, uploading the photo which loads pretty quickly and seeing that dreaded ‘Search in progress’ notification come up.

He stands back and clenches fists to stop his hands from shaking, it would probably take days to find her if she was there, it is scanning the whole galaxy. He hears Rocket release a shaky sigh as Groot recovers from his sniffles. The room thickens with silent anticipation until a computerised voice chimes from across the room.

_“Noobmaster69 would like to play.”_

Peter turns around towards the games console as Groot darts over to it. He walks over there, nothing but a confused frown on his face as another tinny voice radiates from the device which he can just about make out.

“Groot. Groot! Where are you? That bastard noobmaster is back online, I need you.”

Groot fumbles to turn down the volume as Rocket is heard huffing across the room. Peter holds out a stern hand as Groot reluctantly gives it over to him. He holds the headphones to his ear.

“Uh... Thor?”

“Oh, Quill is that you? How are things going?”

“Are you- are you gaming with Groot?”

“Yes, is he there? See, I need him because there’s this guy noob-“

“I asked if I could game with you but you said there was no connection!”

And as Peter and Thor go back and forth, echoes of the previous weeks of the same thing, Drax goes over to clear up the shattered mug on the table as Rocket accidents steps in the coffee that spilt on the floor. Mantis decides to sit and finish her breakfast, crunching eggshells as Groot storms out of the room to join the moping with Nebula, all while the large and glowing picture of Gamora displayed on the hologram watches over them, her stance as fierce as it would be if she were there. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I said I wasn’t gonna write Thor but- it’s Thor so I couldn’t help myself and decided to slip him in there somewhere. Also I almost passed out trying to write this chapter trying to get into what Peter must be feeling because that’s a lot of pain and angst..  
> Next chapter tomorrow.  
> Anyway, title song is ‘I Can’t Seem to Make You Mine’ by The Seeds, 1966. Total bop.


	19. He’s Comin’

Adam has decided that babies, or small infants in general, are peculiar creatures.

 

He holds the tiny weight of the child in his arms, their golden limbs flailing and kicking against his chest as he looks down into their gold irises with his white orbs. As the mother of the child raises her camera, Adam focuses every ounce of his concentration on holding the baby as gently as he can, the soft warmth they’re providing traveling through his body. The little glow he is able to see in the child is bright and the purest he has seen. He is told to smile for the photograph, does so widely, and almost jumps as the child erupts into cries when the flash startles them. He frowns and wonders how to react, adjusting his hand to cup the baby’s head. The cries soothe, the mother takes the child and says a sentence that he’s heard dozens of times today in different variations.

“We are so pleased to have your excellence join our planet.” She leans in, as though her next words were forbidden. “I must say, I thought no being could out-perfect the Sovereign, but you do come close.”

He pauses but offers a slight smile as she shakes his hand and he mechanically shakes back. When he gives a rehearsed reply, she walks away and the next person walks to him. Before they reach he turns to Ayesha.

“High Priestess, you are quite sure this is necessary?”

Ayesha stops fixing the jewels around her neck and turns to brush off the section of his robe the baby had touched.

“It is necessary for you to meet the people. They have long awaited your appearance, the Council have branded you our saviour. It is only fitting that you at least give them the privilege of shaking your hand.” She turns her attention away as the next person is given permission to approach, when the young woman gets closer she holds up a hand to stop her.

“What is that you have?”

The girl looks at the gadget in her hand and back at the Priestess. 

“It’s a device with a front facing camera! I was hoping the saviour could take a ‘selfie’? It is all the rage on Calculex.” 

Ayesha spared her a judicious glance up and down.

“Adam does not take the photographs. If you wish to have one, you must take it yourself.”

Adam remains silent as the girl shrugs. She holds up the camera, struggling to reach it to his height as she lays the other hand across abs, smoothing her fingers across them.

“Smile!” 

He smiles quickly as she pouts her lips, and when she eventually unlatches herself from his side, he goes to shake her hand but her she swiftly darts it and feels his biceps.

“By Valhalla! You mean to tell me he was born with such charm _and_  strength?”

“Have some decency, child. Remove your pestering hands from Him!” 

Ayesha swats the woman with her tone as she releases Adam. When she walks away she quickly closes one eye in his direction and flashes a smile. He wonders what such a gesture means, but assumes it is inappropriate as Ayesha tuts.

“Desperate maidens, objectifying you in such a way.” She turns to him. “Are you ready to be used for my plan?”

Waving a dismissive hand towards the guard attempting to control the crowd of star struck individuals, she halts the next person who is also encouraged to stop shouting about his ‘Undying love for the golden hunk’. She walks with Adam, leading him towards a tall building with intricate architecture and patterned glass. Adam stares up at it, it’s grandness awing him to the point that he slows down in his stride, his pale eye colour brightened by rainbows of light pouring in through the windows. He has only been here twice. This is the main hall for the Council. 

The first time he was brought here was the day he was born. He was exposed and unclothed as Ayesha presented him to a panel of members and can still remember how he felt as they circled him. Assessing him. Scrutinising every part of him. She told him to stand confidently and he listened, everyone in that room being a stranger, including her. 

When Adam looks at Ayesha, he is unsure what to feel about her. Throughout today, where he has finally interacted with other people, he has seen some people with their creators or ‘parents’ and is aware that he probably looked in their direction for far too long. But he senses something strong there and from what he has read in books, the relationship is significant. He can’t get close enough to get a read on exactly what it is, but the glow he sees  _between_ certain individuals tugs his attention. Adam knows Ayesha is not his mother, she is his creator. But he follows her wherever she leads him, causing conflict in his mind because she tells him he is superior, and so he feels a small strike of discomfort at his eternity of confinement by her hand. He mostly dismisses it though, she looks at him with sparks in her eyes and his core responds to that warmly, but there is a coldness within her that warns him against her.

The second time he was here was to prepare for his purpose, today being the day his purpose would be carried through. The Council had designed all sorts of vicious weapons for him to use but Ayesha scoffed at them, saying there is no need for such tools when he is a weapon alone. On that day they had him test his strength. They presented him with a captured individual who tried to invade the planet and had committed multiple crimes against the Sovereign. The man was relatively well built and had strength that some may be intimidated by. But with Ayesha’s instruction, Adam stood before him and simply raised a hand. And for the first time, he felt his true power coursing through his veins. He watched as bright sparks of an orange hue travelled to his finger tips and went to lay his hand over the man’s chest. The prisoner attempted to strike him, punching Adam across the face but only achieved a broken hand as Adam barely reacted to the hit. He then held what he can only describe as golden fire swirling in his hand over the man’s heart and watched as he writhed and burnt and fell in a heap at his feet. 

The Council applauded him, they rejoiced at how they had found their Ultimate Avenger and Adam frowned as they did so, the weight of the man’s body leaning against his feet.

“You will depart in the courtyard. I have asked for you and I to be alone, a crowd may be distracting as I give you your final instructions.” 

Ayesha leads him to a doorway that opens into an outdoor space lined with bright flowers. They go to stand in the centre of it as she stops to face him.

“The time has come.” She looks up at him, her stern expression easing into a smile as she neatens his hair. Standing back slightly, she looks at his hand. “Show me once more.”

He raises a fist and engulfs it in flames. The orange sparks reflect in Ayesha’s eyes as the corner of her mouth lifts.

“You will depart from this spot and return to this spot when it is completed. I want evidence, an ornament if you will. Heads, bones, the tail of that furry wretch, whatever you deem suitable as proof of your work.” Adam nods slowly, she continues. “Target the Terran first, he is their leader. Then one by one, destroy them and return home. It should take you no less than a few days.”

By the time she finishes she seems almost jittery with excitement, though Adam remains still as he thinks.

“I will not disappoint you.”

“I know you won’t.”

Ayesha twitches a smile quickly before making her expression icily serious.

“...What is your given name?”

“Adam.”

“But what follows? What name have the Council appointed you with?”

“Warlock.”

Her eyes darken with satisfaction. 

 

“You are Adam Warlock. And I want you to unleash war.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The personification of Perfection and Chaos collide in the next chapter... I’m sure you know who’s who.  
> Title song is ’Do You Believe He’s Comin’ by David Gates, 1973  
> Lots of ass kicking in the next two chapters which will both be uploaded soon!


	20. War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue the music.

_ ‘WAR, huh, YEAH! What is it good for? Absolutely NOTHIN’’ _

“I don’t like this song.”

“You don’t like most songs, Rocket.”

“This one’s particularly stupid. War is good for a lot of things. Shooting guns, punching things, setting off bombs.”

Peter gives him a side glance as he changes gear, the ship shaking slightly with the bass on the song. Since starting the new search for Gamora, he’s been feeling slightly, not much at all really, but  _slightly_  better considering he’s decided to make use of this stereo he had built into the dashboard. It’s bass whacks a punch, much to Drax’s distaste and Peter picked the best song for it. He felt like he was forcing its presence though, he’s still not much in the mood for upbeat music right now but he just can’t take the silence anymore. Plus, the slight tap of his foot suggests otherwise.

“The only thing war is good for is getting killed.”

The mood droops as Peter finishes his sentence, Rocket gives a pained groan.

“You just had to make it depressing.”

“It’s the general tone these days.” Quill mumbles, turning down the volume. He pauses. “But apart from that, shooting space monsters is pretty cool.”

He senses Rocket’s malicious grin as the ship glides through the air. They had received a distress call from a nearby planet and Peter being Peter felt obliged to respond. Last time they got a call like that, Thor face palmed onto their windshield. Not to mention the deep routed PTSD he has from all the fighting that ensued from that very moment. Plus, he’s about 90% dead inside and he’s not even sure he’s up for fighting if this call leads to real trouble, but he guesses they have to go back to living up to the name at some point, he is sure Gamora wouldn’t approve if he used mourning her as an excuse to ignore a distress call when there’s a part of the galaxy that needs guarding. 

He checks the little screen to his right to see whether they’re on the right route then unconsciously does his usual check to make sure everyone has on their seatbelt. He snaps at Groot to put his on, then makes the mistake of looking down at Gamora’s seat and sees it empty. He takes his eyes off the sky for too long, clears his throat and hears the slight shake in his voice as he speaks.

“Okay, when we get planetside, I want to do things properly. We’re not splitting up, Drax you’re not gonna go off running and yelling and stabbing the first thing you see, Groot don’t you dare bring that console with you and Rock-“

“What is that...?!”

Mantis’ voice cuts Peter off as he looks back at her, following her wide eyes and pointed finger out of the windshield and onto a bright glowing light way ahead of them. His already tired eyes squint at it, the bright light stinging them as he frowns.

“I am Groot?”

“If it was a star, I’m sure we would have melted already.” Nebula replies, black eyes reflecting the golden speck in the distance.

Rocket sits up. “Wait, is that that glowing Captain Haircut chick?“ 

Peter’s unsure who he’s talking about but not as much as Drax is.

“How could a baby bird possibly levitate and provide that much light?”

“I think... I think it’s a person.” Peter says slowly, stopping the ship as the object doesn’t move out of the way.

“Whatever, just get the ship going at speed and it’ll soon move. If not, just ram it outta the way.”

Peter suddenly becomes more alert. “We can’t just run them over.”

“The hell we can’t.” Rocket switches the steering over to himself as his part of the controls beep into life. He changes the ship’s gears as Groot rushes to put his seatbelt on.

“Rocket, wait-“

The ship thrusts forwards as it picks up speed. Peter sighs as he’s two seconds from giving up on life and sits back to watch how badly this is gonna go. He hears Mantis gasp as they all brace for impact, but what happens next is, as eloquently as Peter can describe it, super freakin weird.

They approach the light and as they get closer, the outline of a man is visible but he’s... gold and fiery and Peter wants to yell ‘abort mission’ when he sees they’re about to hit him but the man doesn’t move. This dude stays completely still, solid as a meteor when the ship flies into him. 

Like, literally  _into_  him. 

As they fly forward, his body phases through the windshield and everything goes in slow motion as he enters the ship. He emerges through the glass, turning his head to look at Peter with shining white eyes as Peter stares back, following him with wide eyes as he watches him glide through the cockpit. 

When Rocket slams on the breaks, they all jolt forward and Drax starts yelling before anyone else does. Peter looks down at a monitor to his right that is now blazing red alarms with the words ‘foreign being on ship’ and looks over at Rocket as everyone erupts into panic and fights with their seatbelts.

“What the fu-“

“Get me my gun!”

“Holy shit!”

“I am Groot?!!”

“It’s inside the ship! The apparition is onboard!” Drax yells as he rips of his seatbelt and draws his daggers.

“That is impossible.” Nebula shouts, unclipping her own as she follows Drax into to the ship.

“Wait!” Quill shouts, standing up unsteadily as he weaves in between their chairs to follow them. The alert said it was in the communal room and he guesses that’s correct when he hears a loud bang from that area.

“Shit, shit, shit-“ he whispers as he goes for his blasters and realises he left them in his room. Rocket comes up next to him with a gun he pulled out of thin air and Groot and Mantis peer over Peter’s shoulder as he enters the communal room. When he does, immediately he ducks out of the way as Drax is being thrown across the table, breaking it in half as he crashes down. Peter looks up to see who the hell just used Drax as a frisbee and sees this golden thing standing in his ship.

“Woah, woah, dude, what the-?!” Peter yells at the intruder, then kind of wishes he didn’t when they set eyes on him. He only gets a second to look the man over before he lunges at him. This guy is tall. Like freaky tall, at least 6 ft 6” and has a build that makes Drax look scrappy. He’s rocking the whole long hair thing with a middle parting and has cheekbones that could cut your hand if you touched them. When he darts for Peter, Nebula attempts to intersect him. She shouts as she swings at him, her metal arm colliding with his face as it doesn’t even leave a scratch. The man looks at her as though surprised by her presence and simply tosses her to the side as he aims his glare at Quill. 

Peter has barely a second to engage his mask before he gets the wind knocked out of him when this guy shoves him down. His weight is like a tonne and Peter struggles to push him off, caught off guard as the man finally speaks.

“Peter Quill?” His voice is deep and steady but there’s too much chaos going on right now to hear what he’s saying.

“What?!”

“Quill!” Rocket shouts from across the room. When the man hears him it’s as though Rocket answered his question and confirmed his motion as he raises a fist to Peter’s face. But before he gets close, Rocket throws himself at him, along with Groot who attempts to rugby tackle the guy as he’s pushed off of Peter. Peter scrambles to a stand as he catches his breath, thinking about darting to his room to get his gun when the sound of Rocket’s one stops him in his tracks. Rocket fires three shots that miss the golden guy and bounce around the room, smashing a panel in the wall as Peter watches.

“You’re shooting my ship!”

“I’m trying to shoot that thing!”

“Thing?!” The man‘s tone is loud, as though offended. “I am a superior being you  _vermin_.”

He suddenly kicks Rocket across the room and Groot goes for him, also getting pushed down before he sets his eyes on Peter again.

“Uh- Mantis, do your thing!”

Mantis peers from behind a doorframe, eyes wide as she steps closer to the intruder.

“I can’t get close enough!”

“Do it, do it, do it-“ Peter chants as he sprints to pick up Rocket and take his gun.

Mantis doesn’t hesitate as she approaches the attacker from behind, jumping up to touch his head as her voice is loud enough to fill the room.

“Sleep!!” She shouts as her antennae spark up. But when she jumps down the man merely looks at her and frowns, her method not having the slightest impact...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY TO CUT IT MID SCENE I NEED TO CHANGE THE POINT OF VIEW TO ADAM LETS GO


	21. War (continued)

Adam turns to look at the woman who dared to lay a hand on him and ruffle his hair. When he’s faced with an unfamiliar bug-like woman, his brows snap together. Ayesha did not mention this one. Nor the metallic blue one across the room. And the tree is larger than expected. In the midst of his confusion, a feeling he is not fond of, he sees this woman as someone in the way of his goal and pushes her harshly to the side.

“Hey! Don’t don’t touch her like that!”

The Terran’s voice returns his attention to him and Adam turns. _‘Target the Terran first, he is their leader.’_ Peter Quill aims a gun at him and Adam flies across the room with breathtaking speed, knocking the gun straight out of his hand and smashing him against the wall. He picks the Terran up and throws him against the opposite wall and goes to hold him there, ripping off his mask and crushing it to pieces in his hand, the red eyes of the metal concealment preventing him from identifying his species. When he sees terrified green eyes staring back at him against a flushed complexion, he instantly confirms him as Terran.

Without hesitation he raises his hand, about to summon his power when he senses movement behind him. He turns and sees the rest of these outlaws running towards him. The rodent is even as humorous to wave a gun at him. Adam stomps his foot, hailing down a jolt that tilts the ship sideways, sending the five of them falling backwards while he keeps a steady hand pinning the Terran against the wall. With them in a heap of tangled limbs and tails, he turns back to this ‘Peter Quill’ creature and looks at his chest. The human attempts to move but Adam’s arm is like a vice against him. He raises his hand and ignites a blaze of flames around his fist, reeling it backwards to plunge it directly into the heart.

When he senses the Terran’s eyes dart to the left, he abruptly stops when he sees something spark in front of his eyes.

Peter Quill’s heart is... His whole body is... absolutely strobing with a blinding light. It’s the same glow Adam sees in everyone but this, this is unlike anything he’s ever come across. It shines and he can feel it, he can sense its warmth and it’s power and he-

“...What is that?” Adam asks, voice sharp, his fist still blazing as he hesitates.

It seems the Terran is too caught up in fear or discomfort to comprehend his question, but Adam is struck by this... energy radiating from him and the affect it’s having.

“That feeling... What is it?”

“I don’t know what the flark you’re talking about!” 

Finally, the human replies and his voice is scratched with confusion as he shouts. Then a loud bang is heard across the room and Adam jolts slightly as a bullet bounces off of him. His eyes are blurry, blinded by this light he can see as he turns around to look at the furry creature that just shot at him. When he sets eyes towards the rest, he’s so startled that he lets go of Peter. 

This glow, it’s in all of them. Much weaker in the blue cyborg, but this energy is luminous within each one of them and it is shared _between_  them. It bounces off the walls, it sparks and spirals and is particularly bright and beating in their chests and Adam’s whole body reacts to it. It’s warmth and intensity. It dances around the room in glittering streams between them and from each of their hearts it leads to a particular point across the room. The same point the Terran was looking at earlier before Adam was about to strike him. 

Adam looks over and sees a picture. A hologram displaying an emerald woman. And the shimmer and the light and the glow radiating from each of them explodes around it, keeping Adam’s eyes mesmerised as every part of his being is impacted by it.

“What’s he doin’- what’s he doing?!” The rodent shouts.

“Drax Drax Drax Drax!” The Terran chants as the tattooed man jumps into action, seizing this window of opportunity as Adam stands there dazed and distracted. Drax rushes forward, unleashing his trademark yell before he attempts to punch something out of existence. But he stops abruptly at Adam’s next words.

“Gamora...”

A hollow pain pierced Adam’s forehead. He winces as though a drill was being pushed between his eyebrows. There’s a burst of silence until the Terran almost chokes as he stutters.

“What- What did you say? Why did you- H- How-“

“That woman.” Adam says, eyes closed as his head pains. “I can...”

“Who the hell are you?!” The Terran comes in front of him, snatching the gun out of the animal’s hand and pointing it at Adam.

“How do you know her name?! You better start talking! You’re in my damn ship and you almost-“

“I sense her.”

Peter stops as though slapped around the face by Adam’s words. The rest of the group surround him.

“What the hell are you waiting for?! Shoot this golden freak!”

The rodent’s shout has little affect on the human but he does clutch the gun tighter and hold it up in an even more threatening manner.

“What do you mean you sense her?”

Adam flinched as something stabbed his mind. An image flashed in his head. A feeling flushed his brain.

“She’s trapped. I can feel her, she... I can feel her... her...  _soul.”_

And with that Adam opens his eyes and almost gasps as the word resonates with his body. His mind feels clearer as though the realisation has relieved him, released him from his ignorance and liberated his existence, knowing now exactly what the light is he can see in people.

The Terran lowers the gun, eyes intense and stained with pain as he steps closer to Adam.

“She’s trapped..? She’s- she’s... Where?”

Suddenly, the human becomes aggressive again, he steps close to Adam and grabs his collar in his hands.

“What are you talking about?! What do you mean she’s- Do you know where she is?! Who the hell are you and where is she goddamned trapped-“

“Vormir.”

Adam turns to look at the cyborg, her black eyes contrasting against his white. He looks at her questioningly. Her gaze flies past him and focuses on the Terran.

“He said her soul. He must be talking about-“

“The soul stone.” Adam looks down at the animal as it speaks, tail swatting as he says the words.

“Holy shit. The d’ast stone has her...? How the hell does that work?”

Adam watches as the whole demeanour of Peter Quill changes. His green eyes flicker as he looks at the rest of them one by one before exploding into a chaotic frenzy of questions and words and agony and his glow intensifies with emotion as Adam senses it. 

But Adam stands by quietly as they all erupt. Perhaps he should be firing questions at them. Perhaps he should have slaughtered them already and be on his way back to The Sovereign. Perhaps he should be conflicted as to why he can’t bring himself to raise a hand to them after the light-  _souls_ he just saw within them. Or maybe even question what that peculiar melodic noise playing in the background is talking about a war.

But instead he stands there entranced, the two words of the ‘soul stone’ devouring his attention.

 

And the sense of this woman, Gamora, within his mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Guardians’ love for each other is powerful enough to stop a ‘perfect’ god-like being who was created with the sole purpose of destroying them? You bet it is.  
> Title song is ‘War’ by Edwin Starr, 1970 (as you might have guessed). If Adam Warlock is in gotg vol.3 and this song isn’t then I’ll never shut up about that missed opportunity.


	22. All I’m Asking Is For a Little Respect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today! There’s a lot of angst ahead of us but you guys are on ao3, you must be used to it... (if you’re not then I’m sorry). But this first chapter should be fun, can’t say the same for the second :’)

“Sit down and don’t move, goldilocks.”

 

Peter watches as Rocket points his gun at the towering man, tracking him with it as he sits down on one of the chairs he’d just almost broken. While biting his nails vigorously, Peter mindlessly twirled his blaster in his hand, having sprinted to his room to get it before they started their interrogation. Rocket starts.

“What’s your name?”

“Adam.”

“Gotta last name?”

“Warlock.”

Rocket paused, narrowing his eyes as he looked him up and down.

“Warlock...” He echoed. He turned to Quill. “Isn’t that enough reason to throw him off the ship already?”

“Who sent you?” Nebula interjects, tone sharp enough to cut through anyone else’s question as Adam stares back at her calmly and Peter decides that he does not like the demeanour of this guy at all. He’s smug. Well, maybe smug isn’t the right word but he’s... He literally just broke into their ship, used Drax as a volleyball, broke their damn table and tried to kill him with his freaky fire hand and yet still sits there with this placid confidence radiating off of him and looks around at them like he still has the upper hand in this scenario. Peter grips his blaster tighter.

“The Sovereign. High Priestess Ayesha.”

“What?!” Rocket’s voice is a little more high pitched than usual and Peter frowns as the name rings a bell but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

“Why does that name feel important?”

Rocket turns to Peter, gun still square on Adam as he does.

“Uh, maybe because they sent their whole fleet to whack us outta the sky until your even crazier Dad turned up?”

“I am Groot?”

“Yeah.” Rocket sighed. “This is the Ego story.”

Then it hit Peter. He starts to remember all of it, not that he ever really forgot but certain things in his mind have become faded and hard to reach these past few days. But as soon as Rocket gives his butthurt description, flashes of the High Priestess and gold and those freakin anulax batteries and him apologising to Gamora about flirting with the High Priestess and more gold swarm his mind and then he looks at Adam again, the guy coated in flawless gold skin radiating so much confidence and self entitlement that he wonders how he didn’t put it together already. Everything is solidified even more when he hears Adam speak.

“Perhaps the name ‘feels important’ because it is. The Sovereign are above all other species, it is natural to feel threatened in their presence.”

“You put that on your postcards?” Rocket retorts. “Look, you don’t get to talk, alright?”

“But you are interrogating me.”

Rocket pauses, eye twitching slightly. “Don’t get smart, soon I’ll let my gun here do the interrogating if you don’t cooperate.”

Adam looks at Rocket and nods, sitting back as though accepting this and Peter does a double take, this ‘Adam’ guy suddenly looking like a child waiting to be told directions. He remains there until spoken to again. 

“Why did High and Mighty send you? To kill us, I’m guessing.”

“Yes. She wanted me to destroy each of you, apart from the- excuse me I am unaware of your names, the bug female and the cybernetic blue female. I was to burn you inside out, engulf your ship in flames and return with each of your heads, or a branch, or even your tail would have sufficed.”

Silence filled the room as Adam finished his sentence, a lot of dropped jaws being the reason after the sound of such gut wrenching violence and Peter kind of wished he turned off the music he left playing in the cockpit because the lyrics of ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ didn’t really match the tempo of the conversation.

“Any other questions?” Adam says, almost seeming to be enjoying the opportunity to express himself to other people.

“I am Groot?”

“No, I cannot shoot lasers.”

“Groot! I’m asking the important questions here.”

“How tall are you?” Drax says, suddenly straightening his posture and flexing his muscles as he looked Adam up and down.

“I said  _important_  questions.” Rocket snapped. He looked back at Adam. “But just so we’re clear, ya sure you can’t shoot lasers? Because when you were about to fry Quill earlier that looked intense-“

“Alright.” Peter piped up, stepping closer to Adam as he remembered why he’s the leader around here. “We can find out his party tricks later.” He twirls his blaster a final time before holding it at his hip as though to intimidate the golden gladiator. “I’ve gotta question; you’re gonna tell me what you know about Gamora and the whole Vormir soul stone thing or else my blaster here will show you what a real laser looks like.”

“That’s not a question.”

“Hey look-! Don’t mess with me, dude.” Peter loses any patience he had. “Are you-“ He swallows. “Are you sure she’s alive?

Peter risks letting desperation show in his eyes as he stands over Adam, tilting his head to follow him as Adam stands. He does actually start wondering how tall he is as Peter just comes up to his shoulder.

“I sense her soul which, from what I can tell, is very much alive.”

“Okay but what about her, what about her body, wh- what about _Gamora_ as in her as a person, not just her soul.”

“If we go to Vormir and retrieve the soul stone then surely all these endless questions will be answered.” Nebula cuts in, exasperated tone bouncing off the walls. “Stop wasting time. Let’s bring this golden thing the Vormir and he can show us what he’s talking about.”

“Firstly,” Adam starts, walking over to Nebula as his footsteps make the ship tremble. “I am not a ‘thing’. I am a synthetic artificially created being with the genetic coding of perfection. I will be referred to as no less than Adam.” Rocket scoffs, Drax flexes his muscles, Nebula sighs. Adam continues. “Secondly, I have decided not to kill any of you. This soul stone you speak of, I feel a connection to it. I wish to gain more knowledge about it and it seems as though I am not going to get information in any other way than to venture with you to this planet.” He turns to Peter, hair flowing as he does so. “Besides, you, Terran... Peter?”

“Quill, just Quill.”

Adam raises an eyebrow. “Just Quill. You seem incredibly eager to find out more about this woman you seek, as do I. I sense torment within you, perhaps finding her will ease this?” As Adam speaks he walks around the room as though educating them all with his words, when he walks past Mantis her antennae spark up. He goes on.

“I propose we make an agreement. I will come with you to Vormir, aid you in finding out more about Gamora, retrieve the soul stone and use it to educate myself about what I suppose to be my origins and you will enlighten me on what that powerful energy is that you all share between you. Deal?”

Peter looks him over as Adam stands there with his hand behind his back, biceps bulging as he looks down at Peter with his god-like structure- Oh no, it’s happening again. Peter stutters.

“Hold on, lets get one thing straight. _I’m_  the leader around here. I say what happens and I outline the terms of the deal, alright?... And your terms sound pretty good so, yeah, it’s a deal. But,” Peter gets closer to Adam, attempting to meet him at eye height and refraining from standing on his tiptoe or making his voice as deep as Adam’s. “I don’t care if your perfect, which by the way nobody is, apart from Gamora so if you don’t hold up your end of this, I won’t hesitate to send your High Priestess a message. I’m not afraid of your fiery-hand shit, I once almost came very close to destroying Thanos myself.”

“Uh, what?”

“You weren’t there Rocket it’s fine I’ll explain later.” Peter turns back to Adam. “I’m the captain. My ship, my rules, my name is  _Quill_ not ‘Quail’ or anything else and I don’t need another pirate-angel immortal god person thinking they run the place, got it?”

Adam looks down at him, a slight smile on his lips that Peter’s not sure how to react to. He nods.

“I have completely got it, Quill.”

Peter nods and stands back, coming down off his tiptoes and ignoring Rocket’s judgemental look.

“So what now?” Drax asks.

“What else? We set a course for Vormir and go there now.” Nebula retorts and goes to march towards the cockpit.

Peter’s mind swirls for a moment, his brain finally catching up with all that has happened in the last ten minutes and is not sure whether to cry, laugh or drop on his knees and thank the stars that this crazy guy busted through his ship and tried to kill him because now he has his first chance at getting Gamora back. And not just any Gamora from a random universe, _his_ Gamora. Whatever it takes to get the soul stone, whether it be travelling with someone he just met and kind of hates just because his middle parting is so neat, it’s a small price to pay to get her back and he’s already dead inside so might as well risk die trying to do so.

He’s about to sprint to the cockpit and fly the ship at a ridiculous speed to get to Vormir when a thought jumps into his head. He acknowledges it and pushes it aside... then it comes back and he argues with himself until he gives in and knows what he needs to do.

“Hold on, there’s somewhere we need to stop off first.”

The rest of the Guardians look at him as though he’d spoken another language. He sighs.

“The distress call? Yeah, we can’t just ignore that.”

Rocket’s the first to reply. “The distress what? Oh please, they’re fine. There’s probably some other heroic idiots on their way to help them out.”

“Rocket, you think I want to use up anymore time? We have to go, it’ll be quick, we’ll let Drax run off and stab the first thing he sees.”

Rocket groans as Drax holds up his daggers already. Peter looks over at Adam.

“Besides, we have this super being who blasts fire and could probably end whatever fight it is in a second. Wanna intern with the Guardians for a day?”

Adam looks at Peter, expression almost gullible and wide-eyed as he nods eagerly. Peter nods and sighs as he finally goes to walk to the cockpit.

“Our method is really simple. Find the bad guys, shoot the bad guys, maybe have fun kicking their ass and get back on the ship before they can send a whole fleet after us.”

Adam follows him into the cockpit and Peter watches as everyone gets into their seats. He looks at the only remaining seat and decides Adam would be fine standing, then internally sighs when he sees him stood there like an out of place ornament while everyone does their seatbelt. 

Peter just points at Gamora’s seat and doesn’t look.

Adam sits and looks around to copy everyone else doing up their seatbelts, staring at the contraption for a moment before buckling up. 

Peter checks the distress call is still active and boots the ship into action, keeping a close eye on Adam who is just staring out into the galaxy, the multicoloured stars casting different shades of light on his golden skin.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Insecure Drax, Peter standing on his tiptoes to try and meet Adam’s height, Groot thinking Adam is like someone from a video game who can shoot lasers? I love writing these. 
> 
> Title song is ‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin, 1967.


	23. There’s No Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here we go. A LOT is happening in this chapter, and they’re going to Vormir so...  
> I hate that place.

Turns out the distress call really wasn’t joking about distress.

 

They had arrived on a small planet, purple skies and yellow grass but the talking flowers wasn’t the only crazy thing going on. There was literally a full out war about to take place and it seemed the Guardians arrived at the exact moment it was about to start.

Two sides were facing each other; a crowd of terrified orange skinned people standing opposite a herd of pale, pretty pissed off looking Viking type beings.

Peter took one look at what was going on, tried to engage his mask and then remembered Adam crushed it to pieces and started thinking maybe Rocket was right about coming here.

“Uh... okay. So... give me a minute while I think of a plan-“

“Which side do you suppose are the ‘bad guys’?” Adam asked, stepping in front of all of them as he scanned the two sides.

Before Peter could answer a voice radiated from the crowd to the left of them.

“Oh thank the stars! The Guardians got our call!”

The crowd of orange people erupted into cheers and Peter decided who the natives under attack were as he held a thumbs up at them.

“Okay, so I guess the other side is who we’re fighting.”

“Fighting?!” Rocket scoffed. “You go fight the army by yourself, Quill. We don’t stand a chance against-“

Adam took off marching towards the herd of vikings and before any of them could say anything to him, he was standing in front of the hundreds of the invaders. He raised a fist, zapped what looked like all the flames and fury of hell itself, essentially turned the whole army to lava and turned around to walk back to the Guardians.

As he approached he took a moment to glance at Peter’s wide eyes and merely nodded.

“Your method is simple.” He smiled and stepped back into the ship and the Guardians turned to look at the pile of smouldering body parts behind them, then at each other and then back towards Adam. Rocket put his gun away and headed back towards the ship.

“You know what? I think we got off on the wrong foot. That was one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen.”

As Rocket’s voice disappeared within the ship Peter gave a few more astonished blinks before following the rest of the team onboard. He couldn’t help but notice Drax’s dismal look as he stared down at the daggers in his hands since it seemed that he would not get to go slicing through things today.

When Peter sat down in the pilot’s seat and everyone else was in theirs, he opened his mouth to ask what the hell just happened then closed it as he’s not sure he’d be able to process it anyway. He layed a hand in the ship’s controls.

“Okay, so... Vormir it is.”

Booting the ship up, the Benatar ascends into the sky with the elated chants of natives sending it off, and Peter blasted the thrusters forward as the rose away from the atmosphere of the planet.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Adam sat upright in his chair, eyes tracing the array of milky ways they glided past, leaning forward to catch shooting stars and decided that he must be in the most beautiful part of the universe at this very moment. Back on The Sovereign, he’d started to think the only colour to exist was gold, but now he feels as though he’s being compensated for what he sees now. 

“What is that there?” He asks, pointing out of the windshield to an explosion of purple and blue.

“Um,” Quill starts, squinting as Adam looks up at him. “Oh, that is a nebula. Ha.”

Adam stores the word into his vocabulary and turns to look up at the blue cyborg sitting above him. She fights it for a moment but meets his gaze and simultaneously cuts it.

“Yes, I am named after a sparkly cosmic space swirl. I’m not proud of it.”

Adam turns back to look out of the window and wants to ask how one could possibly not be honoured to be named after something so striking. He’s just about to ask the name of that distant green and blue planet before someone leans forward and whispers into his ear. 

“Hi.”

He turns to see two wide eyes and a pair of antennae, naturally returning the smile Mantis is giving him.

“Hello.”

“I am Mantis.”

“I am Adam.”

Her smile fades as she looks down before her next words.

“I must say, you terrified me earlier when you almost killed my friends.”

Adam dropped his gaze, a slight pang of guilt wracking him as Mantis’ antennae sparked.

“Yes, well, that was before I knew your true nature. I did not sense any of what Ayesha told me.”

“You are an empath too?” She almost squealed the words, excitement radiating off of her that Adam noticed made her soul glow even brighter.

“An empath feels emotions. I see and sense emotions within souls, so perhaps that is what I am.”

Mantis nodded. “I am an empath too... I can sense slight tension within you, but it’s okay. When I first joined the team I was very nervous as well, but they accepted me and they’re really fun and I think they will accept you too.” She smiled at him so kindly, he almost frowned at the good nature of her. He then had a flickering thought of whether his whole (short) life has been a lie as it seems someone so pure could hardly be apart of a team of “dishonourable thieving wretches”, as Ayesha described.

He nods but mentions that he is not sure he plans to stay. She looks somewhat deflated at that, but returns to being enthusiastic.

“Well, whatever happens, the way that you destroyed that whole army with your bare hands and turned them into fire was seriously assbad.”

Elated at the compliment, Adam thanks her and feels what he assumes is happiness as he turns back to face the sky. Then another voice is whispered in his ear from the other side.

“I assume you acquired such height and strength artificially but you must be doing something to maintain it.” Drax whispered. “Is it excess protein? Weight lifting? I’ve heard of juicing but I’m not sure about-“

“Okay. Okay, oh my God we’re almost there.” Peter’s voice stops Drax mid sentence. Adam looks behind him to see the Terran’s anxious expression through the fuzz of his beard. Drax sighs before patting Adam on the shoulder. 

“I will discuss training methods with you later, but I must say your biceps are superbly defined, I think you could give Quill a few tips also.”

And with that Drax sits back and Adam is only perplexed for a moment as to what training method he could give Drax before the ship entered the planet’s atmosphere.

As they descended, his eyebrows raised when he saw little flecks of white drifting through the sky and stared curiously at the deep purple surface of the planet.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Peter has already decided that he absolutely hates Vormir.

 

Within five minutes of landing the temperature around them had plunged into ice cold, not to mention the light snowfall that had welcomed them which felt more like a ‘get the hell back on the ship’ as cold wind wrapped around them.

Peter locked up the Benatar even though it seemed the place was deserted and looked at each of his team (plus Adam who looked at the snow as though it were party confetti) as he wondered where to go next. 

The only thing visible for miles was a large cliff and a series of little mountains leading up to it. Peter almost swore at the thought of climbing but then remembered why he was here and started walking immediately.

“Up there.” He pointed to the cliff and Rocket did the swearing for him as they approached, Adam stopping many times to catch snow in his hand to inspect it and frowning each time it melted.

Peter didn’t think he had much energy left after the lack of sleep he’s had but almost flew up the high climb since Gamora filled his thoughts. When Adam said he could sense her even stronger up here he almost started running.

They reach the top of the cliff and Peter ignores the fact that his head is spinning slightly at how high it is. They reach a dark archway of rocks and just as Peter looks behind him to make sure everyone is there, something emerges from the shadows with a voice that almost makes him yelp.

“Welcome, Peter Quill, son of Meredith.”

Peter immediately reaches for his blaster and almost fires when this freaky levitating red thing looks down at him.

“Nebula, daughter of Thanos, Groot, son of Rocket, Rocket, son of-“

“What the hell  _is_ that?” Rocket says with passionate disgust. “A floating skull wearing a cloak? Dude, what happened to your face?”

The red skull creature stops abruptly and looks down at Rocket and Peter wonders if he’s about to curse him for all eternity or something. 

“I am Groot.”

“That is unnecessarily violent, Groot.” Drax says judiciously, before narrowing his eyes at the figure. “Perhaps he was involved in an accident.”

The red skull thing stares at them as though both confused and offended but dismisses it as Peter aims a question at him.

“Hey, dude, do you know where we can find the soul stone?”

“You should know, it extracts a terrible price.”

“Uh... okay well I’m sure we can do bank transfer or something.”

The figure slowly narrows his eyes at Peter, looks at the rest of them, frowns, and then sets his eyes on Adam, lingering on him for a moment before turning.

“I will lead you to what you seek.”

His ominous cloak flows out behind him when he levitates away and Peter starts wondering if this guy ever had legs as he leads them out of the darkness. They emerge out on a slippery section of the cliff leading out to the edge of it. Peter stops as he tells his team to stop when he sees it and for once they do, apart from Adam who walks out boldly in front of them.

“What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear.”

The stonekeeper looks over at the end of the cliff and Peter hesitantly steps forward, to scared to look over the edge as he clears his throat.

“The stone is down there?”

The figure nods. 

“...Okay so how to we get down there to get it?”

“To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the stone demands a sacrifice."

The rest of the team gather next to him as the word ‘sacrifice’ lingers in his ears. He looks towards the edge and then almost heaves at the thought of Thanos bringing Gamora here.

“In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul, for a soul.”

Silence sweeps around them like the icy wind when the words hit. Peter feels his heart rate go up as everything falls into place. All the endless, agonising possibilities he’d tortured himself with about how Gamora died, all the nightmares of begging and pleading with her to tell him what Thanos did to her. All of that pain leading to  _this_ reality and honestly, this is worse than anything he could have imagined. She died here alone. She fell hundreds of feet and had her body shattered. She would have screamed and called out and no one but her abuser would have heard it. There’s no way Thanos loved Gamora. Just like there no way Peter can stop his legs from trembling at the thought of all of this.

But then a contender of the worst thoughts he’s ever thought comes into his mind. And after the long pause, Rocket asks it before he does.

“What, one of us has to go over?”

The stonekeeper nods calmly. Peter feels Rocket‘s silence and closes his eyes. 

Rocket scoffs. “Ha, nice try, skeleton. This is bullshit, Quill, lets just climb down there and steal it.”

“That is not how it works.” The red skull retorts, tone perturbed as he floats closer. 

Then as expected, Rocket and this skull guy kick off into an argument. Back and forth while Drax and Groot join in, suggesting all kinds of creative ways to try and get the stone while Peter stands there silently. He manages to slow down his breathing rate while the blur of arguments radiate behind him. He remembers how high up they are and feels his chest tighten. Then speaks loud enough to cut through anyone else’s words.

“I’ll do it.”

After Peter says it he turns to face his team,Adam distancing himself slightly as the rest of them look at him intensely. Of course, Rocket cuts the silence.

“...What? Are you crazy?!”

“It’s the only way to get her back.”

“By booting you over the edge of a cliff?” Rocket’s voice gets loud, arms unfolding in disbelief. “Do you hear yourself?!”

“You can get me back though, right?” Peter’s voice trembles with desperation. “Adam? You might be able to-“

“I’m not sure what will happen once I have the stone but... assuming I can control it, there is a possibility.”

Peter pauses, weighing up the negative connotations of the word ‘possibility’ before speaking. 

“And she’s with the stone?”

“Yes, I can sense her very strongly here.”

Peter walks closer to the edge, legs trembling more violently as he leans over to look. Red skull quickly speaks.

“You cannot fall by yourself. A sacrifice requires one to let go of another-“

“I know what a sacrifice is.” Peter interrupts, walking away from the edge.

“So do I and I don’t make sacrifices for anyone.” Rocket says harshly. “Screw this dramatic shit, get the ship and we’ll fly our asses down there.”

“He said soul for a soul.”

“I will go.”

Peter turns to look at Drax.

“What?”

Drax walks over to the edge of the cliff, somewhat fearlessly while Peter almost jolts with fear.

“Quill, you push me.”

“N-no no, Drax, get the hell away from the edge!”

“Quill, this is for Gamora. And there’s a chance the muscular golden god man could bring us both back.”

“No, Drax.” Peter says firmly, trying his best not to shout. “This is- this what I have to do.”

“Well, if anyone’s deserves to be hurled off a cliff, I guess it should be me.” 

Peter looks at Rocket who is masked with a nonchalant demeanour, shrugging.

“Swift kick should do it.”

Peter feels his temper start to burn.

“Is this a joke to you?”

“Isn’t this a joke to you? This is ridiculous. There’s no way that if one of us  _kills_  ourself that Gamora is gonna magically come back!”

“I have to take that chance.”

“No, you don’t. It’s too much of a risk.”

“What are you saying to just leave her?!” Peter can’t stop his voice cracking. “Leave her  _here?”_

Rocket seems to ignore Peter’s expression and folds his arms again. “Look, it’s really not that complicated. I got one living idiot... and one dead friend.” He pauses, facade dropping as he mentions Gamora. “I am  _not_ going to trade you in hopes that both of you will come back. I’m a gambler, Quill, but the odds aren’t looking great.”

“I am Groot?” (‘What if we all jumped together?’) Groot says with all seriousness.

“It’s one soul, Groot.” Drax counters. “And who would collect the stone?”

“Woah- Groot?! Did you seriously just suggest that?” Rocket yells.

Groot looks at him sadly and pleads with his voice.

“I am Groot.” (‘We need Gamora back.’)

“I know but- am I the only one hearing how crazy this sounds?! None of you are jumping off a cliff!”

Peter sighs with frustration as he walks away to slouch on the icy floor. His body tells him to give up as everything seems to be excruciatingly difficult right now, but he tries his best to sit up as he ushers the team to talk this over.

They talk for over an hour. Rocket is having none of it, being completely stubborn as Peter expected but Peter is stubborn as well. There is absolutely no way that he will let anyone else take that chance and convincing them to let him do it while keeping them from putting themselves forward is painfully difficult. Adam only pipes up to assure that he thinks he could bring whoever goes back as well as Gamora. Nebula mostly stays silent, Mantis looks like her whole world is falling apart and Peter has never seen Drax looks so concerned in all his life. 

They get nowhere and Peter says the only thing he’s sure of.

“I’m not leaving without Gamora.”

He pauses, feeling Red Skull watching them.

“If it wasn’t a sacrifice I would have hurled myself over there already.”

Rocket is once again triggered. “This is exactly why I should have been leader because you’re all idiots, always tryna get yourself killed. Who turned to dust not long ago? You. Who was left behind? Me. And now want to do the whole thing again but you want one of  _us_ to kill you?” He rambles out, so annoyed his tail swats around as he speaks. “Absolutely ridiculous. I’m not sticking around for this shit. Once you realise this is crazy as flark, I’ll be on the ship. C’mon Groot.”

Rocket turns to start walking away, Groot hesitates but doesn’t really move as his eyes fill with sadness. Peter loses it.

“Why don’t you see what I need to do, Rocket?! I can’t- I- Don’t you think I don’t want this to be happening? But she’s- I- Oh God I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Peter throws his head in his hands as his mind throbs with stress. Rocket stops for a second but continues walking until suddenly Nebula’s voice surprises all of them.

“Quill is right.”

Peter looks up, Rocket stops walking.

“The stone requires a sacrifice and it’s clear none of you would ever willingly do that to each other.” She pauses, as though tasting the pain of her next words. “But I want my sister back, you all want my sister back. We do what needs to be done or we abandon her and one of those is not an option. I would have sacrificed or been sacrificed already, but it’s safe to say that I do not love any of you... tolerate is as far as I would go. So one of you needs to step up and do what is required.”

Her voice lingers within their surroundings and hits them all. The silence is awful. Peter looks at each of them as his eyes fill up until Drax sighs deeply, stepping forward, looking at Quill. And then at Adam.

“If they do not _both_ return I will remove your spine with my bare hands.”

Adam stares back at Drax as Peter looks up at him.

“Drax, are you...”

Drax turns his gaze on Peter, frowning slightly before speaking.

“For this family,” He clears his throat and Peter has never seen him look so close to tears. “I vowed I would do anything. Even though it is a risk, we know Gamora is down there... and we do not leave anyone behind.”

Peter stands up and looks him in the eye.

“You’re willing to do that?” He says quietly. Drax pauses and Peter sees his lip quiver slightly.

“Yes.”

Peter feels his stomach go over. Chills run over his body and he and Drax linger, looking at each other until Peter nods, blinking away the burning in his eyes.

He immediately starts walking over to the edge and Drax follows him slowly.

“Wait...” Rocket’s voice is like a whisper as he starts coming back.

Peter stands at the edge, feeling unimaginable fear as he looks over. He turns away from the drop to face Drax who stands just in front of him. Peter can see Rocket approaching behind him and knows it’s either now or never.

They stand opposite each other, a footstep being the only distance between them and suddenly Drax looks unsure of how to do this. Peter grabs his trembling hand and lays it on his chest.

“Just there.” He says whispering, nose scrunching as the pain of tears fill his eyes but he nods as though to reassure Drax that it’s okay.

“Don’t you dare! No!”

Rocket’s voice gets closer as he shouts, voice not sounding like his own as it cracks and Peter speaks hurriedly when he sees him getting nearer.

“Do it quickly, Drax. Before I can think what’s about to happen.”

He pauses, looking Drax in the eye desperately to avoid his fear. It doesn’t work and he swallows the lump in his throat as he speaks. 

“I owe you everything for this.”

Drax’s eyes fill. He tries to smile but it doesn’t come out right, he only looks terrified which is so unsettling to Peter that he wants to look away.

“Both if you must come back. I do not want to lose my family again.”

Peter nods and before he can take another breath, Drax pushes. The sensation of his body tilting punches a gasp from his lips and he hears his boots scuffle as he falls off the edge. His ears muffle with terror as the feeling of falling paralyses his thoughts, he can make out Mantis screaming something and hears Rocket’s voice. The edge of the cliff blends with the colour of the sky and as he looks up, every part of his being tells him to scream. Instead he closes his eyes and feels himself gradually go into shock as he keeps waiting for the impact, petrified out of his mind at the thought of what it will be like.

 

But when it happens he doesn’t feel anything. He hits the ground with life taking force and is only aware of the collision for a second before everything goes black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever written.
> 
> Title song is ‘I’m Telling You I Am Not Going’ by Jennifer Holliday, 1982, aka one of the most powerful songs ever and appropriate for this chapter’s theme :’) IM SO SORRY TO LEAVE IT ON A CLIFFHANGER.. I promise you I didn’t mean that pun.. BUT guess who missed writing Gamora’s POV and has hers in the next chapter? ...hang in there...


	24. Rescue Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your comments on the last chapter <3 Now to try and fix the mess I’ve made...

Gamora has been in the soul world for five years.

 

Within those five years she has only been given awareness three times. There is no sense of time here, five years in life is not five years in death. In death it feels like no time has passed, yet knowing that your life is way beyond your reach. 

It’s all very peculiar, although at this point she’s come to realise that death is much more simple than life. It’s solitude, it’s quietness, it’s feeling consciousness at times but not having a body to express yourself. It’s your soul existing beyond the reach of life and being left without the feeling of physical pain but harboured with the torturing sadness of lost life.

At least it was until about a month ago.

Similar to the first time she gained consciousness, being given a physical body in the form of her younger self and exchanging words with her father, the second time Gamora gained awareness was just a few days before a month ago. She was thrust into a burnt orange landscape, able to walk and move with her own limbs and the sight of her own body provided solace like she’s never known. She walked and wondered why she had been brought here, hugging herself as she wondered alone. She wondered whether she was being offered a way back. But instead she had been brought there to welcome someone in.

The landscaped flashed with light, another soul entering the stone’s world. On that day Gamora encountered a red haired woman with the appearance of a Terran. They briefly communicated, shared each other’s anguish, sought comfort in one another though couldn’t aid the pain and before Gamora knew it, she was thrust away from company, brought back into her solitude as the feeling of awareness slipped through her fingers, her physical form disappearing. She was in isolation again and had only her memories to accompany her.

She thinks about him within every second age spends in this place. She thinks of him and them and nothing else except what keeps her soul strong.

A month ago, Gamora gained consciousness for the third time. Though this time was unlike the others. She was not given a physical body to greet another fallen victim. There was no light of new souls but a powerful, burning presence of a being. A being who had connected with her soul and she felt him listening. So going against all the pride she’d known in life, she pleaded and begged for him to hear her. She expressed her imprisonment, revealed her grief for her life back and although he did not, or could not reply, she felt listened to.

 

On this day, Gamora has been given awareness for a fourth time. With a physical form, with limbs and the ability to speak words just as before when Natasha arrived. She’s here with her now as the light flashes, a sign of another victim.

And Gamora readies herself to welcome whoever’s poor soul has been brought down to this place...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Well, I’m sure I mentioned before that I might add Natasha but anyway I’m going to act like I successfully added some shock value. Also, I know that technically Natasha would have been in the soul stone before Gamora because they went back to 2014 but I wrote her as coming while Gamora was there because I think we can all agree the timelines in endgame made our heads explode so I ordered it in a way that made sense to me.  
> Title song is ‘Rescue Me’ by Fontella Bass, 1966.  
> Back with the (still alive :’) Guardians in the next chapter, Rocket’s pov seeing as he always has something to say, even in an unspeakable situation...


	25. Origins

“What have you done?!”

Rocket shouts as though his own soul was being ripped from his body, burning with fury and shock as he looks over the edge of the cliff. 

_“What the fuck have you done?!”_

He watches Drax walk away from the edge, almost stumbling as he bends over as though he were about to throw up. Rocket looks around to watch Mantis break in front of his eyes, erupting into the personification of despair while Groot has fallen onto the floor, legs given out under him and Rocket feels every cell in his body tremble with the weight of what he’d just witnessed. 

He sets his eyes on Drax again and feels nothing else within his mind but to kill him for what he’s just done. Without thinking he goes to run at him, but then trips as everything suddenly turns to darkness and he loses control of his senses.

When he opens his eyes, he looks down to see that he’s sitting in shallow water, it shimmers with a dark purple light and he scrambles around to figure out where the hell he just got transported to. He jumps up in the water, sending waves of ripples around him, looking up to see everyone else who was standing on the cliff edge there. They all sit there in the same water,looking around with the same chaotic confusion until he notices Drax.

Drax sits up, staring at his hand. A deep orange glow seeps between his fingers. He opens his hand and the soul stone’s light shines out of it. Rocket’s about to swear when they’re all thrust back to the cliff edge. 

He scrambles to his feet again, irritated as his mind absolutely sways with discombobulation when he scans his surroundings. Before he can steady himself, the cliff edge starts to shake furiously and immediately he looks out for Groot. Rocks crumble and break off around them as the ground beneath their feet trembles vigorously and he looks around to see that Drax is still holding the stone as he struggles to stay upright.

But then, the stone lifts from his hand and floats in the air ethereally. Rocket clings onto Groot, shielding him behind himself as the stone levitates above them, suddenly sparking out a bright and almost blinding light.

Then in a flash it moves. It travels through the air and approaches one of them as though pulled by a magnet.

It edges closer to Adam who stands there unmoving. Rocket watches as the stone latches onto Adam’s forehead and shields his eyes from the explosion of luminosity coming from him. Rocket half expects Adam to freak out, he sure as hell would seeing as contact with infinity stones in the past doesn’t work out for anybody. But instead, Adam seems to welcome the stones connection wholeheartedly. 

The ground continues to tremble and just as the light starts fading Rocket’s ears flick back, pain sparking them at the sound of screaming. He has a moment of terror as he thinks it’s one of them, but turns to see that creepy red skull guy absolutely losing his shit. It’s understandable, seeing as he is literally crumbling to ash in front of their eyes and as he bellows his hollow scream, Rocket covers his ears, the guy’s whole form withering away and fading to be carried away by the blizzard of snow. The sound of his cry still lingers as his cloak crumples onto the floor into a heap on dust.

Rocket looks back at Adam, who stands there more valiant than ever with this freaking _infinity_ _stone_ just casually sitting in his d’ast forehead. He reaches up to it and the trembling stops. The quietness is deafening compared to the tumult that had just taken place. Rocket finally eases off of Groot, hesitantly deciding it’s safe enough as they both sit up. They both watch Adam close his eyes, taking a breath before saying something that makes Rocket feel like the ground is shaking again.

“I can feel them.” He says, face stained with concentration. “I can access them, all three of them.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m *hoping* to upload the next few chapters tomorrow as I still feel like I’ve left you guys in limbo. If you’ve made it this far I hope the next chapter will be rewarding!  
> Also title song is not a song at all, I just really wanted that as the title :D


	26. Stay With Me Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No time for my usual rambling chit-chat, let’s do this!

Gamora watches as her surroundings glow with orange light, a strong wind blowing her wavy hair out of her face as a cloud appears from above, streaming down a fresh flow of white light as the new soul enters. 

She looks at Natasha. There’s a haze of something between them. Gamora almost feels the urge to reach out and feel the presence of another person, but she calls in the laws of her past self who knew how to cope with isolation as Natasha looks back at her briefly before quickly turning her attention on the newcomer. Gamora starts to walk over as she prepares what she wants to say. Perhaps she will try and explain to them that they have just died and are now merely a soul, perhaps she will have to console them if they are understandably distraught. She walks over quickly, just making out the outline of the person’s form as they stand and readies herself, clearing her throat.

Her footsteps are silent as she walks, the person having their back to her. The brightness fades, making things more visible and the person’s outline becomes clearer. 

Gamora stops.

She stops walking and looks ahead of her. She sees the vivid red of his jacket and thinks her eyes are deceiving her. The curl of his hair, the stance, the height...

And then he turns around just enough for her to see his face. Her throat closes, instantly her legs threaten to give out from under her as she lays eyes on him. She gasps as though she hasn’t breathed for five years and feels her physical form react without her control. Pain runs down her spine as she attempts to walk again.

“Peter...?”

He turns his head slowly, searching his surroundings until he looks at her. When she sees his eyes, she screams. A deep, aching cry that wracks her whole body as she runs. He looks towards her, stunned still for a moment but then erupts into a shout of her name and although his voice is shredded with emotion, her ears welcome it and the recognition of his voice makes her feel lightheaded. When she gets close she slows, body weakening with shock as he stands in front of her.

He looks at her, his eyes tracing over her face and with every inch he covers they brim with more tears. Gamora is sure her heartbeat would be pounding if she still had one. She lifts a trembling hand to reach out for him and touches his face. Her fingers come into contact with his skin and it sends shivers down her arms when realisation sets in. She cups his cheek and steps closer to him as she lets herself believe he’s really there.

“Gamora... I-“

He goes to speak but she latches onto him so tight that he almost falls. She burrows her face into his chest, melts in his scent and aches for his contact, clinging onto him as though she might disappear if she lets go. She feels him collapse into her arms, hugging him when his whole body starts to jerk with crying. He buries his face into her, spilling tears into her hair as he kisses her neck repeatedly, scattering them all the way up to her cheek until he stops to just hold her, lifting her up and her own tears are barely noticed as she lets herself sway in his presence.

There’s no need for words. There’s none that can do this moment justice. Their two souls collide and are reunited in a moment that could bring the whole universe to its knees. It’s a meeting of unimaginable pain being mended within a second of laying eyes on each other.

It’s the feeling of holding someone you thought you’d lost and knew you wouldn’t live without.

 

And it’s also the ultimate dramatic hollywood movie scene that Peter had hoped for when he met his lost love again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The starmora reunion we deserved, we were denied our rights!!  
> The song I’ve chosen mirrors the ultimate crescendo of this storyline, I could totally see it playing the background when they reunited. If you listen to any of the endless songs I’ve suggested, I hope it’s this one (Stay With Me Baby by The Walker Brothers, 1967). Anyway, the reunion isn’t over yet, but maybe Natasha will finally get a word in...


	27. Ain’t No Mountain (or cliff) High Enough

“I’m Natasha, by the way.”

 

Peter lifts his head away from Gamora’s shoulder. They had been standing there like that for what he hopes was forever and he almost didn’t notice another presence there until that voice filled his ears. He looks up to see a woman standing there, feeling somewhat self-conscious as he can imagine how tear stained, red and puffy his face is.

He doesn’t recognise her, but by the look of her badass suit and stance, she’s gotta be a galaxy guarder of some kind. She also looks Terran, but Peter can barely register that as he sniffs.

“Peter.” He croaks out, voice ripped as he holds Gamora between two still trembling hands. He feels impolite for his dismissal of Natasha, but when Gamora pulls away from him and stares into his face, he forgets everything around him and smiles so wide he feels like an idiot. Gamora mirrors this and as she speaks, her voice sounds like the music that’s been missing from his life for the past few weeks.

“You found me.”

“Of course I did.”

She smiles again, eyes offering him life before her expression changes.

“The others- are they okay? Did Thanos... Did he-“

“They’re fine. Rocket, Groot, Drax,  _all_ of them, they’re okay.” He watches Gamora exhale and pauses as he tries to figure out a way to tell her about Thanos’ fate, knowing the conflict of solace and torment it will bring her. 

“...Gamora-“

“You grew a beard?”

She runs her hand across his jawline and he stops, feeling her touch and letting himself laugh slightly.

“Yeah, it was kind of a depression thing... You like it? Rocket says I look like a bum.”

“Wait...” Gamora says, distracted from his self-conscious question as her face falls with an inscrutable expression, dropping her eyes. “How did you... how did...” she stops, eyes bouncing back up to his face. “Did you... fall off the cliff, Peter?”

He hesitates, flinching slightly at the memory of it. “Uh, well, yeah-“

“You fell off of a cliff? For me?! Are you crazy?”

“What? I course I’d fall off a cliff for you, how’s that even a question? And I didn’t just jump off, Drax pushed me.”

“He-!“ Gamora starts before staring back at him speechless with wide concerned eyes and he decides that maybe he revealed that to her in least tactful way possible. 

“No, no, I told him to push me off.” Clearly that only made things worse as Gamora looks at him, a mixture of shock, irritation and distress as he frowns sadly at her expression.

“You’re- you’re telling me, that you had Drax push you to your death just so you... you could be with me?!” Light anger reveals itself in her movements. “No, please tell me you didn’t just do that, Peter. Tell me you did _not_  just end your own life just to be with-“

“No,” He starts, almost smiling at the familiarity of her lectures at him. “I have a way back.”

Gamora’s expression quickly changes, the meaning of his words striking her face. He’s almost saddened at how relieved she looks, starting to wonder if she thought he would never find a way back to her. Before he gives that thought too much attention, he turns his head as Natasha finally gets a word in again.

“How?” She asks, face skeptical and desperate at the same time.

“I’m waiting on this guy, Adam. Hey wait until you see him, ‘Mora, he can do this freaky thing with his hand and-“

“You’re waiting on a... guy...?” Natasha says slowly, tone confirming her cynicism as she frowns at him. He looks down to see Gamora frowning at him too.

“Peter, what have you done?” She says quietly, though her tone is gentle as she brings a hand to his face. He holds it and brings it back down.

“No, I’m serious! Any second now he’s gonna-“

He jolts as the ground beneath their feet starts to tremble. It shakes forcefully making his head swirl, dazed for a second then regaining focus as he grabs onto Gamora. They all almost lose their balance as it continues and Peter’s about to try and say something over the noise when the orange landscape around then gets brighter. There’s a panoramic glow around them until it pinpoints in front of them, a vibrant portal forming that opens up to the silhouette of a man.

When Adam steps out, the shaking subdues slightly. The atmosphere instantly feels different and as Adam stands there Peter doesn’t hesitate to greet him.

_“Oh thank God!“_ He shouts out, relieved. Though Gamora and Natasha look at Adam wearily, both unconsciously taking the stances that similar training had etched into them.

“Who is that?” Natasha says first as Gamora’s question almost overlaps hers.

“Do you know him, Peter?”

“This is the guy, this is-“

“I’m Adam.” Adam interjects, he goes to touch his forehead and the trembling stops altogether. He approaches them, smiling slightly as he does so until he takes a moment to scan the interior of the soul world. He returns his eyes the two red haired women staring at him, whose names have been infused into his mind ever since the stone bonded with him.

“Gamora, Natasha. I heard you.” He says, bold voice becoming gentle as the stone glows.

 

“And I’ve come to take you home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have LOVED to see Natasha and Gamora meeting in the mcu but it’s safe to say marvel had very different ideas. I can’t wait to resolve this whole thing in its entirety! The reunion still isn’t over seeing as there’s still five Guardians waiting on a snowy cliff edge... next chapter soon!


	28. Never Thought It Could Be This Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guardian fluff lets go!

Peter can’t decide whether he loves or dislikes family reunions. Of course, he loves them, right now he loves them more than ever. But in a way, he dislikes them because of what they represent; a group of people that have been separated for a long period of time and when they reunite things always get emotional.

And not that he wasn’t expecting it, but this family reunion is about one of the most emotional experiences of his whole life.

When they each step into the glowing portal Adam had conjured, the transportation takes a moment but almost feels instant. Adam does his soul navigating magic and proceeds to zap them back into the physical world while the luminous light of orange dims. Peter holds onto Gamora’s hand so tight he fears it might be hurting her, but when he tries to loosen his grip, he almost winces as Gamora squeezes his hand tighter, seeming to not prioritise whether it hurts over her seek for comfort, her cybernetics crushing Peter’s hand and he grips back. 

In the whirlwind of their travels, Adam is deep in concentration as Peter only just notices that something looks kinda different about him.

“Oh hey, you got somthin’ on your forehead.” Peter tells him, gesturing as though to covertly let him know to save him from embarrassment of the others seeing.

Adam steers his concentration away from navigating for a second to scan Peter’s gesture and wants to laugh when he realises what he’s talking about, but frowns slightly instead.

“...Yes. It’s the soul stone, Quill.”

“The...?” Peter stops, cognitions kicking his brain into putting together what must have just happened. “Oh!”

After Adam laughs, there’s a burst of white light until their surroundings solidify and become more tangible. Adam walks forward and the sudden feeling of solid ground beneath Peter’s feet makes his body feel weird for a second but his senses instantly welcome it. When he looks around, he sees snowflakes and realises where he is as the wind blows a tuft of Gamora’s hair into his face. 

All three of them were brought back to be exact place where they had died, appearing on the cliff edge and Vormir looked decidedly different. It was less ominous. It was still cold and snowy but it was less dark and there were definitely no floating red skulls as tour guides.

But when Peter hears Gamora’s gasp and feels her grab onto him as she turns around, he follows her eyes to see the one thing that is exactly the same as before he left. Five familiar faces stood waiting for them. And when they all laid eyes on each other, you’d think the whole place was shaking again.

There’s a punch of silence, interrupted by Mantis’ exclaim of relief and before Peter can say anything, he feels Gamora’s hand leave his as she brings a hand to her face.

Groot‘s first. Groot’s always first to give Gamora a hug unless Peter can get in there first and considering he hasn’t left her side, it turned into more of a group hug, Groot’s branches wrapping around them as Mantis throws herself into them, joining in on the embrace but almost managing to have them all falling of the cliff again. Drax looks so relieved that it looks like he’s going to have a heart attack. He bends over to inhale and exhale a huge breath before standing and walking over to lay a heavy hand on Peter’s shoulder that almost knocks Peter over. Drax’s hugs are painful. Loving, but sort of in an almost crushing you kind of way. He goes around them and picks all four of them up in a zealous way of showing his joy and Peter smiles as he hears Gamora laugh through her tears. When they’re put down and slowly release each other, Peter looks behind him when the burning realisation of a raspy voice missing from his ears is noticed. He turns to see Rocket practically tearing out his fur. 

“You idiot!” Rocket calls out as he quickly wipes his face. “You flarkin... bastard, how could you do that?!”

“It worked, Rocket!” Peter chimes back, both appropriately and inappropriately giddy and excited as he gestures to Gamora. “It worked.”

“Yeah but wha- it’s- How stressed out have I gotta be around you people?” He brings his paws up to his face, massaging his temples. “Oh man my life span has really been cut short these last few days. I’m not gonna last much longer-“

“Would you shut up and get over here?” Gamora interrupts, smiling at him as he stops rubbing his eyes and when he catches her face he doesn’t look away.

“Don’t think I’m not mad at you too.” He sniffs. “You’re the one who’s supposed to look after these idiots. I tried to and I had half of them wanting to jump off cliffs.” He says self pityingly but trudges over to grab onto Gamora’s leg and wraps his tail around it. Peter does a double take as this is the closest thing he’s seen Rocket offer as a hug. “I’m not coming all the way up there for any group hug sap, down here is fine.” He says as he sniffs again.

“Where’s my hug?”

The look Rocket gives Peter is his answer. He looks back up to Gamora’s expression and straightens when he sees it, following her gaze. 

“Nebula..?” She whispers, peeling herself away from the rest of her family as her other member approaches. Nebula looks unsure of what to say but doesn’t hesitate to walk closer, then is almost startled as Gamora collides into her with a hug. She hesitates slightly before raising her arms to hug back and Peter decides that this truly is the optimum of what his already emotional and sensitive heart can take when he saw the two of them embrace each other like that, something he thought he’d never see unless their feud was over, which he knows most definitely is now.

And although Peter expected this all to be as emotional as it was, what he definitely didn’t expect is what happened when Nebula saw Natasha. Or when Rocket saw Natasha. He squinted at her as he tried to figure out who she was and how the hell they even know her considering she’s been in the soul stone for God knows how long. Then when words of ‘Avengers’ and ‘time travel’ and ‘Earth’ got thrown around, he thought his brain was going to explode.

His concentration tangled within his vibrantly confused expression when Natasha asked about a _‘Hawkguy’_ , he was instantly brought back to his senses when Gamora returned to his side and before he can speak, she leans up and kisses him in a way that makes his heart dive as though he’s falling again.

Groot catches sight of the two of them and screws up his face as he waits for them to stop, when they don’t, he doesn’t hide his awkward disgust.

“I am  _Groot.”_ He whines as Rocket looks up to see what’s causing such embarrassment.

“Okay, I say we go back to the ship.” He says, wincing as they continue. “Gross.”

“What is it that they’re doing?” Adam says, stepping forward as he tilts his head. “Is that a common way of greeting one another? Should I have done that when I met you?”

“Hey you come anywhere near me, that soul stone will be up your-“

“I think it’s time to go back to the ship.” Nebula states, cutting off Rocket before he can finish that sentence. Natasha stops her as she starts to walk away. 

“Wait, just- Did it work, did they... How long has it been?”

Nebula pauses to scan Natasha’s expression, turning to face her as she answers. “It is still 2023.”

_“What?”_ Peter almost jumps as Gamora blurts it out. “It’s been that long?”

“Do not worry, Gamora. It has not been more that a couple of months for us seeing as we all died recently. Well, apart from Rocket and Nebula.”

Silence flows through the air as Drax’s words echo. Gamora opens her mouth to speak but then decides against it as she frowns. Peter sighs.

“Drax, seriously?”

Drax shrugs, not seeming to be aware of his failed attempt to comfort and relate to Gamora’s confusion. Confusion that seems to be spreading like wildfire.

“What? I do not understand what you just said.“ Adam admits, frowning at Drax. “How could you have died recentl-“

“Can we just go back on the ship and explain, please?” Peter interjects, still dazed slightly at the kiss as he shivers. “It’s cold.”

That seems to be something they can all agree on as they start to make their way back to the ship, climbing down the rocky terrain. Peter makes a half sincere effort to catch Rocket when he slips on an icy path, perhaps still salty about his missing hug. Nebula tries to catch spiralling snowflakes in her cold metallic hand to allow Adam to inspect the ice’s intricate pattern, a gesture produced by her being fed up of him stopping every five minutes to catch them and watching it melt every time. Mantis does her best to keep Natasha company, sensing every bit of what she must be feeling while Groot and Drax complain as Rocket keeps hopping from shoulder to shoulder, trying to avoid the flurries of snow.

And Peter walks two steps behind them, usually being at the front to lead them but hangs behind slightly as he holds Gamora’s hand, stopping to look at her every so often to make sure that he didn’t in fact die and is in utopia right now as her presence is beside him. But as she keeps stopping to look up at him, eyes smiling each time she does, he decides this moment is as real as the heart beat he can feel in his chest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to tie this storyline up neatly in a bow so there will be a couple more chapters and that will be it, once again, thank you for reading this far!  
> Title song is ‘Something’s Gotta Hold Of Me’ by Etta James.


	29. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the softness, fluff and angst commence. Final three chapters today!

When Peter steps foot on the Benatar, it finally feels like home again.

Each of the Guardians pile into their ship, as well as their new guests and when Peter flies them the heck away from that cursed planet Vormir, he ensures they are in a clear open part of the galaxy to drift through as he gathers them all into the common room. He had planned for them all to sit down and have a much needed conversation, but forgot that the table was in pieces, as was his mask, remnants of it scattered around the room. When Gamora’s boot crunches against the shattered red glass that used to be the eyes of his headgear and gives him a bold questioning look, he’s not sure whether to laugh or sigh as he looks at her and then at Adam, who looks over the broken table as if pondering how to put it back together.

They make do with what they have, only having six chairs for the ship’s now eight passengers, Rocket standing on Groot’s shoulder as Peter insists that Natasha takes his seat. And when they finally all take a breath, it takes less then a second for them to erupt into a tumult of conversation. Words fly and collide and tangle as discussions go from what year who died in and what the hell a ‘quantum realm’ is and why Peter has a beard now and why there’s suddenly a golden dude staying with them and everything starts to (just about) make sense. But Peter couldn’t help but notice the obvious explosion of information bombarding Gamora’s mind as they went from what happened from the moment Thanos left Vormir right up to the moment when Adam attempted to kick all their asses.

She becomes particularly alert when mentions of her past self travelling forward in time come up as a topic and Peter’s not sure whether to frown, be hurt or smile at her smiling when she laughsas he tells her how her past self kicked him in the nuts.

“Hey, that was painful and not to mention soul crushing. I really thought I’d got you back but all I got was a big ass bruise on my-“

“I can reassure you that your soul is not crushed, Quill.” Adam says as though giving a diagnosis. “In fact, it’s the most vibrant I have seen it.”

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t funny.” Gamora says, stifling her smile, then genuinely looking serious as she saddens slightly. “I can’t imagine what that must have felt like.”

“I can!” Rocket blurts out, cringing as he pointed to his crotch. “Ok, see the smashed table over there? After you whammed him, that must look exactly like his-“

Peter throws the nearest thing he could find at Rocket’s head which happens to be a a piece of debris from the wall panel that got shot earlier. Rocket dodges and goes to do what probably would be classified as an assault on Peter until Gamora gives him a look. He settles back on Groot’s shoulder and mumbles something under his breath while Peter basks the return of their mediator, squeezing Gamora’s hand as he uses his other one to offer Rocket a specific finger behind her head. Just as Rocket’s expression reacts to it, the door slides open and Nebula and Natasha reemerge. 

During their chaotic recap earlier, Nebula had interrupted Peter just as he spoke about the battle on Terra, telling Natasha that she has news she thinks she’d rather hear in private. When Peter realised what, or  _who,_  she was talking about, his stomach turned. Tony Stark’s sacrifice was hard on him and he didn’t even really know the guy, so when he looks at Natasha when she walks into the room, his gut does a full on backflip, her cheeks red and damp, accompanied by a horribly pained expression that she does her best to control. And when he literally sees heart break in her eyes, the same heartbreak he had seen in his own eyes for the past few weeks, Peter stands to boot up the ship immediately and set a course for Terra, knowing that she’d probably much rather be home to deal with what she’s just been through than on a space ship with a talking raccoon, tree and bug-like woman who won’t stop telling her how pretty her hair is.

When they get close to arriving there, Peter frowns as Rocket uses a small metallic device to communicate with someone on the receiving end on Terra, calling him Big Green before handing the communicator over to Natasha who instead refers to whoever it is as ‘Bruce’ through a shaky voice.

Sure enough, when they land there is someone big and green waiting for them and Peter wonders what the heck has happened to humans since he left earth because last time he checked, green people only existed in space and it turns out he has a thing for emerald skin. When ‘Bruce’ catches sight of Natasha, also accompanied by a stern looking guy with long brown hair and a metal arm as well as a bearded guy wearing sunglasses that Peter swears he saw flying round during that battle, he pretty much freezes before breaking down, going up to her and looking at her as though she couldn’t be real until they hugged. 

Peter starts wondering how to ask Gamora if this guy is her long lost ancestor or something until the big green friendly guy walks up to him, picking him up and almost squeezing the life out of Peter with a hug, decorated with a ramble of ‘thank you’s’ that Peter tries to accept as he feels like his bones are being crushed. 

When he’s finally put down, he regains his balance, swaying slightly as Gamora whispers into his ear.

“This is your home planet?” She asks, looking up at him briefly before staring at the blue sky.

“Yep, this is it.” He says quietly, getting a strange pang of anxiety that wracks his body. He ignores the feeling that he’s getting as he looks at her curious eyes. “...You wanna look around?”

Gamora looks back at his, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she scans his face. “Do you want to be here? Every time you spoke of Terra you spoke of it fondly, but you also made it clear of the pain it caused you.”

She softens her expression as he drops his facade, reluctantly admitting to himself that he doesn’t really feel like sticking around. As guilty and conflicted as it makes him feel that he thinks this way about the place of his origins, for some reason his birth planet seems to be cursed because every time he’s been there some traumatic life changing event happens. And if he’s truly being honest within himself, the only place that feels like home now to his Terran heart is on a space ship with a talking raccoon, a tree, his green girlfriend and his music. Then he starts thinking that maybe this was his destiny after all, the only thing really tying him to this place was his mother... but she’s much safer being kept in his heart than being presented to him in the the sad memories this place brings him back to.

He smiles at Gamora, aware that she knows him so well as he confesses that he’d rather go home and quickly looks over as Adam bends down to grass, picking up a flower and inspecting it as he walks back the ship, showing it to Mantis who stares at it with just as much wonder.

Peter watched Rocket and this green dude laugh at an inside joke that he’s totally not insecure about not knowing what it means as they start to say their goodbyes, Natasha giving him a hug that he’s not sure he’s worthy of before her and Gamora share a long one. She calls Adam from out of the ship and he pops his head around the door, then looking almost overwhelmed when she tells him he saved her life. When Adam smiles to himself discretely, repeating Natasha’s words, Peter’s about to turn to board the ship when an idea sparks into his head.

“Hey! Uh... Bruce?”

The green man turns around, looking down at him.

“Do you guys still have VHS?” Peter asks, the vague memory of the fuzz of a television coming into his mind.

Bruce frowns slightly, turning to face him properly. “Uh, I’m sure they still sell them in some stores... You wanna watch a tape?”

“Yeah it’s um... I don’t want to put you through any trouble I was just wondering if I could take a film back with me.”

“No, no it’s no trouble.” Bruce assures, he laughs slightly. “Giving you a DVD player is the least I could do after what you’ve just done for me.”

“...a DV what?”

“It’s something a bit more up to date than VHS. What movie are you looking to watch?”

When Bruce asks the question, Peter slowly smiles, looking back at Gamora as she walks with Groot back on the ship.

“The greatest movie of all time.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is our very own ‘Bring It On Home To Me’ by Sam Cooke.


	30. There’s No Looking Back For Us

“Oh my God Gamora, I told Adam that a dance off is the standard way of saying goodbye and it freakin worked!!”

 

Peter swung himself through the bedroom door with his announcement and Gamora looks up to see his overly excited expression as she sits on the bed.

“You shouldn’t lie to him.” She says lightly. “You know that he believes most things that you say.”

“Hey, that’s his problem because some things I say is clearly bullshit.”

He comes over and flops on the bed next to her and she lifts slightly with his weight, being tilted to lean against him. She takes a moment as his scent sways in her direction and ignores the simmer of pain in her gut. Little things like that; his scent, his laugh, hearing him speak and ridiculous things like watching him yawn makes her insides burst with emotion, as maudlin as it may sound, seeing Peter do little Peter-things seems to make her heart go into a frenzy, the knowledge of previously thinking that she’d never see him again setting her senses on overdrive.

She watches him scratch at his beard and when the rough sound brings back her attention she raises a hand to the thick haze. 

“You think I should shave it?” He asks, smoothing his fingers over hers before letting her touch it.

“I prefer you without it.”

“You don’t like it?” He says, pulling back slightly to look at her. “Don’t tell me Rocket got to you, he’s been on my back for weeks saying I look like a bum which is-“

“No, I don’t like it.” She says, amused at the expression that flashes on his face before putting him out of his misery. “Not because you look like a ‘bum’, but because it covers your face.”

She takes her hand away and watches him smile slightly which gradually turns into a smirk.

“Guess I was missing the sideburns, they’re pretty iconic.” He brags, scratching at it a final time before glancing down.

“Oh hey, you’re looking at it.”

Gamora follows his eyes down to her lap, landing on the framed photograph in her hand, the awfully candid one that Peter keeps on his bedside table of her. When she saw this picture uploaded on the holographic search tab, it pulled her interest, almost feeling bad for the big deal she made out of it in the past seeing as it went towards good use, but still, who takes a photograph when one is not looking? She would have much rather preferred that he warned her so she could have fixed the strands of hair sticking up all over the place, seeing as that photo was taken after a battle. Vanity aside, she smiles at it now as she rubs her thumb over the metallic frame.

“I can’t believe you still have this.” She says, looking back at him.

“Of course I do.” He says softly. She exhales a laugh at him but his expression changes. He drops his eyes to the floor and turns away slightly. _“Of course I do.”_

She watches him as he repeats the words and feels a frown crease her brow. Then feels a twinge of pain in her chest as she looks over him.

“...Peter.” He remains still, looking down, obviously deep in thought as he doesn’t respond. “Hey...” She says as she raises a hand to his face. This snaps back his attention as he quickly looks up at her, eyes still stained with bleakness as he tries to hide it.

“I’m good, I’m good, I’m, uh...”

“Look at me.” She says, trying got be sound too stern. “That facade doesn’t work on me.”

She watches him and waits for him. She watches him try to resist it as the all the happiness he’d presented starts to falter. He goes to speak but hesitates, she helps him.

“Go on, it’s okay.”

He looks at her, hesitating one more time before speaking, but when he does, he can’t stop.

“The photo was all I had... of you and so I  _had_ to keep it up, every night and- and I haven’t told anyone but the whole turning to dust thing really took its toll on me, on my mind and then- and then I came back and I thought you were here but you weren’t- and that was my _one_ thing, that was my one thing about you not being there, because I knew I couldn’t do it and I still tried to stay strong for the team but I  _didn’t_ and I let them down, I let you down- I- I’m  _so_  sorry. I’m so so sorry I let you go, I shouldn’t have let Thanos take you but I- I- never though I’d _actually_ lose you, you know? That’s not how it’s supposed to go-

“Okay Peter,” Gamora tries to hold him upright as he spills, panicking slightly as he seems tangled in his torment. “Okay Peter, okay- it’s alright. It’s-“ She stops, voice snapping with sadness. “It’s okay-“

“I don’t know what to do, Gamora. I’m really trying, I’m _really_ trying to stay strong for you but I don’t know if I’m the same person as when you left.” 

That sentence breaks him. His voice ascends in pitch and rains down with sadness and Gamora bites her lip so hard because surely, there’s no greater pain than having to watch this. She mentally shakes herself, yelling at herself for composure as she raises a hand to his face.

“Hm, let me see.” She says, trying to keep her voice steady. “Put your head up, let me see.” 

He lifts his head slowly and she glides her eyes over him, tilting his head, putting her fingers through his hair down to the curl that had cascaded in front of his eyes. She wipes his eyes, before releasing a hand from his cheek to feel down his arms. “You still look like Peter.”

She watches him as a smile slowly steals his lips, he sniffs before letting out a small laugh. 

“Oh, you definitely still sound like him.”

His smile becomes brighter as she tries to brighten her own. She wipes away a few more tears before he regains composure.

“But do you know what the real test is?” She says, swallowing the painful lump in her throat that had formed as she fought to control her sadness. She leans forward and hugs him, placing her head in the crook of his neck as he does the same. She smooths a hand across his back before speaking. 

“You still feel like him.” 

She doesn’t manage to say it before her voice cracks, clearing her throat as she allows one tear roll down her cheek before releasing him.

When she leans back to look at him, he sniffs before smiling and she gives back a smile of her own. She looks at the vulnerability in his eyes, scrutinises the green pigment of his irises and knows this is exactly the same Peter that she had before, a little bit scarred and broken perhaps, but still her Peter. 

After a moment, he sits upright, pushing back the hair in his face before speaking so quietly he practically mouths the words. “Thank you.”

She blinks slowly in response and watches as the subtle glow of happiness returns to his features.

“Oh, I um... I got you something.”

He walks over to rummage through a rucksack he has slumped against the wall and pulls out a little slender box covered in haphazard wrapping paper made up of scraps of galactic flyers that he holds out in front of her. She tilts her head, sighing as he starts to beam with excitement.

“What is this, Peter? There’s no need for you to buy me gifts.” She says but takes it quickly, eyes already tracing the exterior in an attempt to guess what it is.

“There’s always a need for me to buy you gifts. Besides, this is kind of a gift for both of us so open it, open it, open it!” He chants as she laughs, wiping her eyes quickly before rolling them playfully,carefully ripping at the packaging.

When she opens it, she reads over the letters in swirly purple typography on the case and opens her mouth in awe.

“Footloose?” She says, her voice shimmering like glitter as the much anticipated film lays in her very palms.

“Yeah! The one with Kevin Bacon and the dancing and- that Bruce guy got it for me back on earth. That’s what I was waiting for when I kept stalling before we took off.” He explains, eyes vibrant with accomplishment as her eyes shine up to them.

“This is the best present I have ever received.”

“I know it is.” Peter says smugly. He’s about to say something else when music blares from the common room, then as it flicks to another song Peter springs upwards. 

“Oh my God, c’mon, Adam really thinks I’m serious about this!”

He takes her hand and pulls her out of the room and she just has time to lay the DVD carefully on the bed. When they emerge into the common room, the other Guardians are gathered around as Groot flicks through song choices on the Zune. He lands on an upbeat song that’s bass makes the walls tremble.

“Let us commence the battle.” Adam shouts over the music and Gamora is unsure what to think as she ponders the fact that Peter is really about to have a dance off with someone who clearly stated he had the genetic coding of perfection, knowing exactly how this is going to go.

“You don’t know what’s about to hit you bro!” Peter taunts as he starts to get into the rhythm of the beat, his face still flushed a bit from the crying that just ensued but that seems to be a distant memory now as he dances.

As he starts moving Adam watches him very carefully, then after a few seconds, he mimics Peter’s actions... except a lot more in time with the music with a lot more rhythm and honestly, Gamora can already sense Peter’s crashing ego as Adam moves perfectly in sync with the music, Peter slowing down from his hip thrust to watch Adam start moonwalking.

Rocket bursts out laughing as Mantis glows with amusement, Drax shakes his head as Peter stutters.

“Okay okay okay its not- I lied to you, we don’t have to do this.” He blurts out as he stumbles over to turn down the music. As he walks past, Gamora notices an extremely unimpressed but slightly amused Nebula in the corner and gives her an equally pained expression. Adam stops dancing and looks slightly perplexed.

“No, no! I want to see this.” Rocket snickers, barely holding himself together as Groot pulls out a camera recorder. Peter puts his hand over the lens.

“And I thought you were not a dancer.” Drax sighs towards Adam, shaking his head. “Sometimes I think I am the outsider.”

Adam frowns at Drax and then looks at each them around the room. 

“Did I do something wrong?” He asks, genuinely seeming concerned.

“No, Adam, ignore them. Please.” Gamora says, walking towards him as she gives Peter a look that magnifies his embarrassment. “This is exactly why I’m glad I’m here.”

Adam still looks slightly puzzled but nods happily. 

“I must say I have come across many interesting things in your presence.” He says to all of them. “This ‘music’ that you have introduced me to is something that will remain in my own soul, forever, as it has in yours.” He says to Peter. His expression changes slightly. “I’m sorry I cannot stay. As much as I am grateful to have...” he trails off, Peter mouths the word as he quickly stores it into his vocabulary. “...friends, I did not fulfill what Ayesha asked of me. And although Rocket may describe her as a ‘murderous hag’, she is my creator and I owe her an explanation.”

After nodding proudly at the name he called Ayesha, Rocket quickly frowned. “Hey just because she created you, it doesn’t mean you owe her anything... She’s crazy, man. I mean we’re pretty crazy too but- she tried to kill us with a weak motive if you ask me-“

“Did you or did you not steal the anulax batteries?” Adam asks, knowing the answer as Rocket withdraws slightly, ears flopping down for a blink as a wave of guilt visibly washed over him. Adam continues speaking. “Nobody is perfect, Rocket.” He says, looking at Peter with a slight smile. “Ayesha’s soul is tainted, yes. But she gave me life, and the least I can do is explain to her that I’m not returning and of my plan to venture the galaxy.”

“You know, you could venture the galaxy with us.” Peter says. “And help a lot of people while you do it. The fact that you can shoot fire and that I would barely have to do any work has nothing to do with it.”

Adam barely hesitates before laughing, quickly able to identify the joke. “I think I need time to understand myself... and the stone. However, I will be scouting the galaxy for misdeeds... I do believe my so called ‘internship’ results in a certified title of ‘Guardian on the Galaxy’, does it not?” He says, expression serious as Peter laughs.

“Yeah, but it comes with much more than that... After what you did for me,” He looks at Gamora quickly. “I owe you my life. There’s always a place for you here.”

 

Adam smiles, looking at each of them. “With souls as bright as yours, I am sure to always find my way back.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn’t know I’d love Adam as much as I do right now but here I am loving the heck out of him. Title is ‘You’re All I Need To Get By’ by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, which has highly appropriate lyrics :’)


	31. The Greatest Thing There Is

“Ugh, what is that guy wearing?”

“Shut up. I’m trying to watch the movie.”

 

Peter swats Rocket’s question away as he leans into the small DVD player screen, shuffling his leg under the blankets as they all sat huddled around the device.

“Wait hey this is the good part..” Peter rambles out as Kevin Back comes on screen. He looks over at Rocket before seeing that Rocket has long lost interest, fiddling with a circuit board in his paws as he slumps on a sleeping Groot’s shoulder.

“Oh man you missed it, you weren’t even looking!”

“Why would I want to be looking, that guy looks like he’s having a heart attack.”

“He’s dancing.”

“That’s not what I’d call it.”

Peter blinks, offended before cutting his eye at Rocket just as a voice radiates to his left.

“When does the part you told me about happen?” Gamora asks curiously, wide eyes engulfed in the moving pixels as Peter looks at her under his arm, balancing the screen on his lap. At least someone’s appreciating it. He smiles.

“Which part?”

“The sticks.”

He frowns, she tilts her head.

“You know, up their bu-“

“They dance even worse than you do, Quill.” Drax announces, placing the last kernel of pink space equivalent popcorn into his mouth. “And the music, it’s infernal-“

“Okay,” Peter starts. “This isn’t a film critic club. Everybody either shut up and respect the movie or don’t ever speak to me again... Rocket, come back!” 

When Rocket rolls his eyes and trudges back into the room, hopping back on Groot’s shoulder and jolting the teenager awake making him spill his candy, Peter sighs. He’d got this film for him- Gamora. But as soon as the others heard about the proclaimed ‘greatest movie ever’ that Peter hasn’t stopped speaking about for four years, suddenly everyone watched to see it with their own eyes. Even Nebula, who looked like she almost regretted her decision, whether that being because of the movie or because of an ecstatic Mantis squished up against her on the couch who clapped along every time a song was played. The blanket _was_  Peter’s idea at being smooth and having Gamora cuddle up to him, but now it’s only covered in raccoon fur and is decorated by Groot’s candy.

All of that aside, he pulls himself away from his slight annoyance when Gamora adjusts herself to lean her head on his chest, her hair tickling his nose. 

“You guys do not know what you’re talking about. I love this movie.”

And whether she’s just saying it to lift Peter’s mood and stop him from being offended or genuinely means it as a dance battle commences on screen, either way it confirms to Peter, as if it wasn’t confirmed before, that he was right about his home. And his family. And his destiny.

Which turns out to be right here, on this dodgy sofa that’s about to give way with Drax’s weight, while a talking raccoon, his cybernetic sister-in-law, his co-parented tree son and a bug lady that he always knew would have great taste in music sit here and watch his favourite childhood movie with him. 

And what he knows he was right about, more than anything, is that no matter how much life seems to have defeated him, or turned him to dust or let him think that the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to him happened, things will always circle back to him and Gamora, and now his promise; that he will never again believe in that old saying that life takes more than what it gives. Because between these ship’s walls, and laying against his chest, is more than he could ever have dreamed for.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I can rest knowing all my Guardians are happy! Thank you so so so much for reading all of this, seeing you guys engaged in the story and all your comments means the world. I’m just happy I could share it with you guys. Now, I’m not sure whether this fic will continue unless I think of another explanation as to where Gamora is post endgame because, if you go back for the first chapter, there’s only the possibility that she is in fact nowhere and is dead... which I don’t know if you guys want to me write Peter’s reaction to or not... If you do then I’ll have to stock up on some tissues before writing. ANYWAY! Thank you again, I’m channeling support to you all while we wait endless years for volume 3.  
> And finally, the title song isn’t a song, but a quote from Peter Quill himself from vol. 1, except it represents much more than dancing :)


End file.
